


ash in your mouth

by david (honeydont)



Series: tonight's not over (come over and stay) [1]
Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: (the genderfluid character is max bc you will PRY baby transfem max out of my cold dead hands), Awkward Crush, Canon Non-Binary Character, Gen, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Pining, Pyrophobia, Team Bonding, also there's a lizard, cute kids being cute, even vaguer ed/rj if you squint even harder, parental neglect, traumatic past, vague suzabel if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2020-03-09 22:31:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 194,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18926272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeydont/pseuds/david
Summary: Johnny thinks he might, possibly, be starting to lose his mind. There's a couple reasons for this. The first is he's been seeing...things...that nobody else can see. The second is he's been having weird dreams involving fire and a man made of metal.His attempts to get to the bottom of whatever's going on in Mayview sweeps him into a world he's not prepared for. Most kids would be thrilled about getting superpowers, but for Johnny there's just one, simple problem: he's completely and absolutely scared to death of fire.The fact that he's harboring a massive crush on the new kid in town doesn't help matters either. Neither does the fact that the spirit possessing him seems to have plans of its own...





	1. tinder

**Author's Note:**

> let's get this party started
> 
> big shoutout to kriber & lesbiocity over on tumblr for beta'ing the first chunk of this!

Forge has a plan. It's a plan that's slightly hampered by the fact that he is currently trapped in the body of a small child, but it's a plan nonetheless.

First: he will watch and he will wait. Assess the lay of the land, so to speak. There are strange things happening in this town, other spirits and monsters drawn here much the same as he was by the promise of something better, something new. From the outside it looks picturesque, but on the inside, in the people and the leylines and the various assorted supernatural beings, there's something roiling. This whole place is bound to explode soon, Forge thinks, and he just hopes he's on the right side by then.

Which leads him to the second part of his plan.

He needs to find the Doorman. Forge laments once again the foolishness of the spectral that attacked him, nearly killing him. This part would be so much easier if still had his original body. But no matter. This boy will do for now. Forge is impressed with the ferociousness contained within him, and with his loyalty and dedication. Even his cold heart can still feel guilt for the way he's about to be used.

Because Forge _will_ find the Doorman, and he _will_ find the angel, and he _will_ help put a stop to whatever is coming to Mayview. No matter the cost.


	2. kindling

Johnny's been thinking hard, something he's not used to doing. Some weird, weird stuff has happened today, and he's not really sure how to process it. He's been sitting in detention with RJ and the various other bad apples of Mayview Middle for the past couple hours. He still doesn't have a shirt, which is fine with him, 'cuz he's like crazy hot right now.

"Ya get ahold of Stephen yet?" He leans across his desk to RJ, ignoring the loud shushing sound coming from the front of the room. RJ shakes their head. They'd been sneakily texting Stephen and Ollie under the desk, filling them in about what'd happened during lunch. Well, Ollie anyway. Stephen wasn't responding, probably 'cuz his mom took his phone again.

Johnny casts a glare at the detention overseer's desk where his own phone is lying. He'd run through a couple plans of how to get it back, but RJ had nixed all of them - even his favorite, which had involved a smoke bomb, a grappling hook, and copious amounts of glitter. They'd seemed to be seriously considering that one before shaking their head. Not worth it.

Johnny flumps backward in his chair with a heavy sigh, eyeing the clock. School'd be out soon, but they're still stuck in here for another hour. Johnny wants to get out, wants to move or fight someone or do anything but sit here alone with his thoughts. His mind keeps drifting back to gym class, to Jeff's speech and that...thing...he'd seen. Stress hallucination caused by almost taking a ball being thrown at Mach 20 to the head, maybe? If Jeff had been able to throw that thing hard enough to break Max's arm, it definitely woulda killed Johnny if it hadn't missed.

The end of the day bell rings, obnoxiously loud, and Johnny winces. A couple of the other kids in the room make to stand up, and the detention supervisor lets out a deafening SHUSH. They quickly sit back down.

He props up his chin in his palm, still thinking. He hopes Max is okay, 'cuz he feels bad he got hurt. He's kinda embarrassed he'd told that nerd - Ed? - that he respected Max and thought he was kinda cool. Okay, well, he hadn't actually said that last part, but it was implied.

He wonders what the heck that purple thing was.

Johnny glances out the window and almost does a double-take when he sees Max walk by. He's talking with his friends, and Johnny almost subconsciously seeks out his arm. That thing can't still be there, right?

It is.

He turns back to face the front of the room, biting the inside of his cheek. It kinda looks like an octopus, only purple and all see-through. Does Max even know it's there?

Johnny elbows RJ roughly in the side. "D'you see that?" He hisses, jabbing a finger towards the thing. RJ raises an eyebrow and taps out a text under the desk, angling their phone screen so Johnny can see it.

'max?' it says.

"No, the thing on his arm!"

RJ squints. 'the...sling?'

"No, the - forget it." Johnny rubs his eyes. RJ can't see it. It's gotta be all in his head. "I'm just seein' things."

'u ok?' RJ gives him a concerned look. Johnny's about to reply that yeah, of course he's fine, when the supervisor suddenly looms over RJ and snatches the phone out of their hands.

"Hey!" Johnny protests.

"Shh!" The supervisor says, throwing RJ's phone down on the desk next to his. RJ looks like they're about to go into full-on feral mode, and Johnny puts his hand on their shoulder.

"It's cool," he says, soothingly. "We're almost outta here anyway." RJ pouts but stays in their seat, and Johnny takes that as a good sign. He goes back to staring out the window. Max is gone by now, taking that freaky thing with him.

Maybe I oughta get my head checked out, Johnny thinks.

The next forty minutes are agonizingly slow. Johnny keeps alternating between watching the minute hand slowly make its circuit around the clock and looking outside. He half expects to catch of glimpse of purple every time he does, but there's nothing.

He's about ready to resort to trying to use his nails to carve into the fake wood of the desk just to have something to do when the detention supervisor finally dismisses them. Johnny bounds out of the classroom with a whoop, snatching up the phones on his way out. RJ's right on his heels.

They practically bounce off Ollie waiting for them in the hall.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" Johnny says, pinwheeling his arms in an attempt to keep from falling over. Ollie reaches out and yanks him back upright. "Thanks."

"What'd you two even do to land in detention this time?" Ollie's got an eyebrow raised. "Also dude, where's your shirt?"

"I thought RJ told ya? We helped a nerd hunt down a teacher." RJ nods excitedly behind him, putting their hands into circle shapes and placing them over their eyes, miming either Ed's or Mr. Starchman's glasses. Johnny's not really sure which.

"Woah, seriously?" Ollie's so flabbergasted he actually uncrosses his arms. "I thought RJ was just kiddin'. What for?"

"Well, 'cuz..." Johnny trails off, a finger in the air. "Um...I don't actually know why. It was pretty fun, though."

"If ya say so." He ushers them down the hall. "You didn't say what happened to your shirt."

"Oh, uh." Johnny looks down at his bare torso. "The nerd took it. 'cuz he, uh...beat me in a fight." He says that last part very quietly. Ollie still manages to hear it, and he practically falls over.

"He what? Johnny, you feeling okay?"

" 'm fine! Why's everyone keep askin' me that?" Johnny protests, self-conscious. "I wasn't really feelin' it, okay? Plus he's like, a cool nerd or something. He's got skills."

"Cool and nerd are opposites and they cancel each other out," Ollie deadpans.

"Mm." Johnny doesn't say anything else as they exit out the front doors. There's one or two stragglers hanging around the courtyard, waiting for their parents to come pick them up. There's a breeze kicking up, and it smells like fall.

Ollie shivers a bit, casting a glance at him. "Ain't ya cold?"

"Nah," Johnny says, and he's not. He's been hot ever since gym, practically boiling at some points. It feels nice to be outside. He glances around absently, and his eyes skip past something purple. Johnny feels his heart seize up and he whips his head back around to get a proper look.

It's just someone's backpack. Johnny lets out a sigh of relief, turning back to Ollie and RJ in time to see them share a look. "What?" He scowls at them.

"You sure you feeling okay, bro?" Ollie ventures. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I'm fine!" He says, just a bit too loudly. A couple of people nearby look over at him, and he gives them a death glare back. They quickly avert their gaze. "C'mon, let's go home already."

"Ya get any info from that nerd, though?" Ollie asks as they leave the schoolyard.

"Nah." Johnny kicks a rock, watches it skip along the sidewalk. "He wouldn't squeal. We're gonna have to call an emergency meetin' and try a different tactic.”

"Might be tough with Stephen extra-grounded this weekend," Ollie says, scratching his head. "I saw his mom pick him up earlier. Man, she was so loud you could hear her halfway 'cross the building."

"Ugh, just what we need," Johnny mutters. He goes to kick another rock and stops when he sees it's not actually a rock at all. It's another...thing...and it glares balefully at him as it skitters away from under his foot. Johnny ends up doing an awkward half-skip to avoid stepping on it. "Tripped," he says, unconvincingly, in response to his friends' curious looks. He takes a quick peek in the direction the thing went and finds it's gone.

"Guess we'll just hafta wait 'til Monday." Johnny's absolutely refusing to believe what he just saw was real. "Figure out something after school."

RJ and Ollie nod in agreement, but right now Johnny's not thinking about the plan. He's doing his best to think about absolutely nothing at all. Especially not those purple things. They're not real. He's just seein' things 'cuz he's tired.

Johnny passes by about twenty more of them on their walk home and studiously ignores every single one of them.

When he finally gets to his apartment building after having seen Ollie and RJ home and done their special secret parting handshake/fistbump combo (RJ’s gotta babysit their lil' sis and Ollie’s gotta study for a test, so they can’t hang), Johnny books it up the stairs faster than he's ever gone before, taking the steps two and three at time. He unlocks his door and slams it shut behind him, leaning heavily against it. The apartment is dark and quiet. His dad's not home.

Johnny stays there for a bit, then shakes his head impatiently. What's the matter with him, getting spooked over something silly like this?

Maybe he just needs some sleep. Yeah, Johnny thinks, heading towards his room. That sounds good.


	3. gasoline on the ground

Three days later, Johnny thinks that he might, possibly, be starting to lose his mind.

Those purple things just won’t go away. He keeps seeing them out of the corner of his eye, out on the streets and in the hallways at school and sometimes, occasionally, in his room. He’s on edge all the time, and what bothers him most is that nobody else seems to see them.

It’s the Monday after the whole hitball fiasco, and they’re all piled up on Stephen's bed. Technically they're not supposed to be here, but his parents were out for the night and his brother was with the babysitter, so Stephen'd snuck them in.

Johnny's hanging half of the bed, back on the floor, staring up at the UFO posters on the ceiling and listening to RJ tell the story again. Near-death experiences were very metal, in RJ's book, and they were more than happy to talk about it. Johnny thinks the story's getting a little bit more embellished every time they tell it, but Stephen doesn't seem to notice or mind. 

"I can't believe I missed it!" Stephen says for about the tenth time, flopping back on his bed dramatically. "Man, I would've known right away somethin' freaky was going on." He pops back up almost immediately. "I betcha Jeff was possessed or something! Or, or-" Stephen holds up his hands, ready to launch into a laundry list of conspiracies. "Get this - he was replaced with a look-a-like."

Ollie's a bit more skeptical. "Yeah? By who?"

"Aliens, duh." Stephen's exasperated, like this is obviously the most logical reason.

"'Kay, so aliens made a Jeff body-double and gave him superpowers so he could...play hitball?"

"Ollie, think about it! Obviously they wanted someone on the inside to snoop around the school, and alien Jeff had to act like normal Jeff so nobody'd get suspicious." Stephen crosses his arms, looking smug. RJ's eyes are huge, glued to every word he says.

"Dude, he was plenty suspicious after he tried to put a hole through Johnny's head!" Ollie's still riled up about the whole thing. "Why would an alien even be after him?"

"I've got everything all figured out!" Stephen springs out of the bed with gusto, nearly tripping over Johnny still lying on the floor and startling him out of his thoughts.

"Dude, watch it!" He protests, tearing his eyes away from the thing that crawling around above him.

"Stephen, if you bring out the whiteboard I swear to God I will end you." Ollie deadpans from the bed.

Stephen proceeds to rip open his closet doors and wheel out a large whiteboard.

The Jang had helped him nick it from a classroom about a year ago, and it was his pride and joy. Johnny still wasn't sure how he managed to get it to fit in his closet.

"Okay, first," Stephen uncaps a marker dramatically and draws a stick figure on the board. "We have Jeff." He labels it. RJ pulls out their phone and taps out a message, then nudges Ollie, showing him the screen.

"RJ says Jeff should be more muscle-y 'cuz he was like weirdly ripped and veiny," Ollie says.

"Geez, alright!" Stephen erases the stick figure's arms and redraws them with huge biceps. "Better?"

RJ gives a thumbs up.

"Then we have these guys." He draws four more figures. One of them's wearing a hat. Another has big glasses. The last two have question marks for faces. "This one is Max," He points to the one with the hat, "and this one you guys said is Ned?"

"Ed," Johnny corrects, absently. His attention’s back on the ceiling. 

Stephen labels them both. "We still don't know about these two," he points at the remaining two figures, "but we do know this guy has lightning powers and is _not_ Jeff." He draws little lightning bolts around one of them. "They gotta be connected to him somehow, though." Stephen aggressively makes a circle around the group. "So, here's my theory. These four have superpowers, obviously, right?"

"Right," chorus Johnny and Ollie. RJ nods.

"What I'm thinking is," Stephen pauses to draw a UFO on the corner of the whiteboard, "either they're working with the aliens, or they _are_ aliens. Either way it explains the powers."

"Does it?" Ollie's clearly not buying this.

"Superman's an alien and that's why he has superpowers," RJ chimes in. Superheroes are one of the metal-est things in existence, right after alt rock and questioning the gender binary.

"See, RJ's got it." Stephen grins triumphantly, and Ollie rolls his eyes. Stephen draws an arrow pointing from the UFO to Max and his friends. "As I was saying, they have powers 'cuz they're aliens and can fly and shoot lightning and other freaky stuff."

"What's that got to do with Jeff though?" Ollie interrupts.

"I'm getting to it!" Stephen draws another arrow, this time connecting Max to Jeff. "Obviously these guys got spooked that we were getting close to uncovering the truth, so they made the Jeff look-a-like to infiltrate Mayview Middle and take us out." He taps his chin with the marker, getting little black spots on his face. "Well, Johnny at least, 'cuz he's the boss. But we're on to them now, and we're not gonna fall for any more of their tricks!" Stephen slams his fist into his palm. The marker goes flying and RJ goes skittering after it.

There's a long silence.

"Now what?" Ollie says eventually, breaking the silence. Johnny finally tears his gaze away from the ceiling and finds the rest of the gang looking at him.

"What? Why're you all staring at me?" He demands.

"What's the plan?" Ollie's looking at him a bit concerned. Behind him Stephen's trying to wrestle the whiteboard marker away from RJ. "You feeling okay, dude? You've been spaced out for like the past twenty minutes."

"Hey, I'm fine!" Johnny's a bit more defensive than he meant to be, and Ollie raises his hands slightly, mollifying. Johnny feels a stab of guilt - it's true he had been spacing out, distracted by whatever the heck that weird purple thing was, but that's no reason for him to be snappish with his friends. "Sorry, Ollie. I was just thinking 'bout stuff."

"It's cool."

Johnny springs to his feet. "Awright, guys, I'm cooking up the best plan anyone is Mayview's ever tasted."

"That doesn't make any sense-"

He ignores Ollie. "RJ, toss me that marker, would ya?" RJ expertly avoids Stephen's deluxe level 4.7 tackle/grapple combo and hurls the marker towards him at terminal velocity. Johnny catches it at the same time Stephen crashes to the ground.

"Hey, no fair," his friend says, voice muffled by the wood floor. "That was my best move!"

"Playtime's over, boys! And RJ!" Johnny yells in his best impersonation of the drill sergeant in the hokey old movie he'd watched last night. RJ pulls Stephen to his feet and they both give off snappy salutes while Ollie rolls his eyes. "First things first, though, before we get into it, I got a question for you all."

"What's up?" Ollie's the one who says it, but they're all looking at him expectantly. Johnny swallows, suddenly nervous. He's gotta bring this up real casual-like, so they won’t think he'd taken one too many punches to the ol' noggin.

"Has anyone seen anything...unusual?" He starts, tentatively. "Like, besides the whole 'people with superpowers' thing?"

"I saw the guy who runs that corner store taking a walk in the middle of the night while eating cereal," Stephen offers.

"Okay, well, that is kinda unusual," Johnny admits."But that's not what I'm talkin' about."

"What are you talking about, then?" Ollie's starting to look even more concerned. Johnny's gotta wrap this up before he goes into full-on mom mode and starts taking his temperature and force-feeding him soup.

"I'm talkin' 'bout like weird...purple...blobs?" Johnny gestures helplessly, fully aware that's verging on becoming totally incomprehensible. "Like, uh..." As if on cue, one of the thingamajigs appears, floating up through Stephen's floor. It kinda looks like a cat, if cats had two heads and grass for fur. It meeps at him, and Johnny can see that its mouths were full of flowers.

"Like?" RJ prompts. Oh, great, now they're worried about him too.

"Ya know what, forget it." Johnny's super sweaty suddenly. It feels like someone cranked the heat in Stephen's room up fifty degrees. He turns to the whiteboard and uncaps the marker, ready to start outlining the next steps in his master plan.

"I think the best thing to do is split up," he announces. Gasps of horror echo around the room.

"Johnny, that's like the number one rule! Never, _ever_ , split up!" Stephen blurts, and RJ nods frantically.

"I know, I know, but...think about it!" He points to the group of stick figures on the board, then at himself and his boys. "There's four of them, and four of us. We each take a person and lean on them 'til they crack and tell us what we wanna know!"

Ollie's looking thoughtful. "Could work."

"Hey, ya doubting me?" Johnny crosses his arms. "Anybody else got a better idea?"

The Jang shake their heads.

"Right, so that's what we'll do. RJ, you still got that pic?"

RJ pulls out their phone and brings up the picture in question. Everyone huddles around them, jostling for a better look at the screen. Johnny's about to move on to step two of his plan when his heart suddenly drops right down into his stomach.

The picture's different.

The last time he'd seen it, on Friday, it'd been of several people-sized blobs floating in the air. They weren't there anymore. Instead it was a picture of what looked like a...train? He squints. Yeah, probably a train. A flying train? God, this just keeps making less and less sense.

Nobody else seems to notice the difference. Johnny shakes himself mentally, puts on his leader face. "Okay, guys. Here's what we're gonna do. I'll take Max, 'cuz me n' him are building up some real good rapport." Ollie snorts at that, and Johnny gives him a glare. "RJ, you can take that Ed guy. Yeah, I know he's a nerd, don't give me that look. He was pretty good at helping us hunt down the Starch, 'member?"

"Wait, what?" Stephen's looking confused and also vaguely jealous. RJ must've forgotten to tell him that part of the story.

"Tell ya later. Ollie, you're on the ginger, and Stephen, you get the last mystery person." He points vaguely at the screen, hoping he's at least close to the aforementioned blob. Can't see anything around that dumb train.

"Man, why me? We don't even know anything about them!" Stephen complains mildly.

"It's 'cuz you're the best at conspiracy stuff, that's why." Johnny tells him. "You can put clues together from two pieces of string and a stick of gum."

"You're right." Stephen brightens up. "What about those last two, though?"

"Last who?"

"Them." Stephen's helpfully pointing right at the train, and Johnny mentally runs through every swear word he knows. Stupid train, hindering his investigation.

"I'm pretty sure one of them was that sunglasses teacher," Ollie chimes in. "I saw him driving that car last week. Dunno 'bout the other one, though."

"Uh...we'll leave the teacher for last. It's Mr. Spencer, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Isn't he the other history teacher?" They're all in Mrs. Poswink's class, Johnny remembers. That makes it a bit more difficult.

"Obviously he's in charge of this whole weird little club, so we'll gang up on him after we've made the others spill the beans. Then he'll have to admit to everything." Johnny looks around at his friends. "Sound good? Everyone got it?"

There's a chorus of affirmation.

"Sweet. Now on to our next order of business. Stephen, you want to do the honors?"

Stephen gives him his best hyena-like grin and drops to the ground, rummaging under his bed for a bit before pulling out a cardboard box that's jam-packed with as many rated-R movies that the Jang could score.

"It's RJ's turn to pick," Johnny continues. RJ hovers over the box for a good thirty seconds, thoughtfully picking up DVDS and considering them before putting them back. Finally, they hold one up in the air.

"Zombie Island 3.5: The Intermediate Sequel! Yeah!" Stephen yells, snatching the movie out of RJ's hand and bounding out the bedroom door and down the stairs. "I'll make popcorn!" His voice drifts out from the lower part of the house.

"Oh, use the spicy cheese seasoning!" Ollie says excitedly as he hustles down the stairs himself, RJ following close behind. Johnny pelts after them. He skids to a stop suddenly when he sees the purple cat from before, curled up on the threshold and snoozing contentedly. He almost falls down the steps trying to avoid it, teetering over the edge precariously. Johnny throws himself backwards forcefully, landing on his butt with a solid thump.

"Ow." He eyes the cat reproachfully. It hadn't seemed to mind his friends running over it - through it? - but since they couldn't see it, it made sense that they couldn't touch it either. Johnny wasn't sure if he could, but he didn't want to chance it and hurt the cat accidentally.

The cat stands up and stretches, yawning with both heads. It's pretty cute, actually, for a hallucination or whatever it is. Johnny reaches out, hesitantly, and touches one finger to its back. It feels weird, like handling jello, and he’d half expected his hand to just pass right through it. The cat makes a peeping sound and licks his arm, leaving a smear of purple goo.

"Oh, gross." Johnny pulls a face, wiping his arm on his shirt. The cat darts off, running straight through a wall. Johnny's left sitting by himself, thinking hard.

Something's happening to him. Johnny doesn't know what, can't even begin to know what, and it terrifies him.

"Hey, Johnny! You coming down or what, man?" Stephen yells up the stairs at him, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah! Don't start the movie without me!"

"Too late! You missed a good part already!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Johnny races down the steps, hoping that watching some good ol' zombie murder mayhem will put the purple things out of mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stephen paranatural voice: a͂ͦ̆̿̽̓ ͨ̅̌̋̌̚lͨ͂̆̋̈́ͨ ͐̓̾̒̐ͥͫ̅i̎̔ͬ ̍̏͆͋e͆̏͆ͩͪ̿̑̅ ͬ̌͂͊͛̄̄ͮ̏n̐ͣͥ̈ ̉ͮͭͦ̔̆s̔̄͊ͩ̋̎͐͛


	4. the lit match

Johnny wakes up in the middle of the night with a start.

He's not sure what woke him. He was having a bad dream, he thinks, and he gets the faint impression of burning and a tall man made of metal with entirely too many teeth. His mouth tastes like ash. Johnny sits up with a low groan, rubbing at his face. He hadn't had a nightmare about the fire in years. There was no reason for them to start again now. He’s not a little kid anymore.

He reaches over and checks the time on his phone. It's 2:37, too early to even think about getting ready for school. There's a text message from a few hours ago, and Johnny opens it.

>ollie (11:42): hey man u ok? you were talking some mad weird stuff earlier  
>ollie (11:43): what r those purple things you were asking about? u been seeing them?

Johnny pauses, thumbs poised over the keyboard, ready to tap out a response. His screen glows softly, making dim shadows gather in the corners of his room.

>johnny (2:39): yeah ive been seeing them since friday after hitball and like nobody else can. not even u guys. its freaking me out

He hesitates over the send button.

Nah, better erase that. This isn’t coming out right.

>johnny (2:42): idk what they are. like ghosts or something? do ghosts exist? bc if they dont think im losing it

Erase.

>johnny (2:47): why am i the only one seeing them? is it all in my head? u think i hit my head too hard in gym and now im hallucinating?

Erase.

>johnny (3:01): yeah im fine. i was just asking like in general yknow? im def not seeing things

He throws his phone down on the bed with a frustrated groan. What's wrong with him? He doesn't lie to his friends. Second rule of the Jang is no secrets, ever.

Johnny knows that if he sat the gang down and told him that yes, he's been seeing things, they'd believe him. Stephen would probably say he's seeing aliens, or ghosts. RJ would probably side with him. Ollie would probably say he might want to go to a doctor and get his obvious concussion checked out. Either way they'd all be worried about him, and he hates that.

The truth of the matter is that Johnny's scared, and he doesn't want anyone to know it. The whole thing with Jeff has rattled him more than he cares to admit, and these hallucinations or whatever on top of that are definitely not helping.

He picks his phone back up and opens Google.

'seeing things that aren't there', he types. The first page of results is all about hallucinations, what they are and how to seek treatment. Every link he clicks basically says the same thing: go to your doctor.

Johnny snorts a bit at that. Like his dad would ever be around to take him, even if he did want to. The middle school does have a free counselor, though, and for a moment he considers it.

Nah. Gossip gets around Mayview Middle faster than a wildfire in the middle of July thanks to Suzy and her newspaper. "It's more like a pamphlet, anyway," he mutters to himself. His reputation would be ruined if that ever got out.

He's just gotta figure this out himself.

He's hot all of a sudden. Boiling, practically. Johnny jumps out of bed and throws his window open, leaning half out of it. The night outside is still, the air thick and heavy. Clammy, almost. Probably going to rain later. He leans back, grateful for the scrap of breeze that blows past.

Another look at his phone tells him it's almost 3:30. He doesn't really want to go back to sleep. School's going to suck if he doesn't, but right now he's too pent up with nervous energy. God, he wishes he had someone to fight right now.

Johnny settles for pacing circles in his room in the dark. He doesn't want to turn on the lights, either, 'cuz that'd bother Moxie. He shoots a glance at the tank in the corner of his room. He doesn't see any movement, so she must still be asleep. At least one of 'em is getting their beauty rest.

He just keeps getting hotter. Johnny goes back to the window, wrenching it open as far as it'll go. It doesn't help. The breeze from earlier is gone, dead. He turns away from it with a huff and peels his shirt, now damp and gross with sweat, off and throws it on the ground before flopping back on his bed. He's just gonna close his eyes for a bit-

\- when he opens them again the man made of metal is back. It's hard for Johnny to make out details with the dark smoke billowing around them, but he can see sharp teeth and claws and far too many glowing eyes. The man dips his head (it's shaped like a - what? Johnny can't remember the name of it) and opens his mouth to speak -

His alarm going off jerks him awake again, startling him so badly he falls off the bed. It's 7:15. Johnny always gets up early so he can feed Moxie and make himself breakfast and think about all the things he and his friends are going to do that day. His dad would've left already, so it's just him in the apartment.

Johnny picks himself off the floor with a groan, smacking his alarm into silence. He's surprised he even managed to fall back asleep. He's less surprised and more irritated he had basically the same dream twice in the same night. It's like TV reruns, only in your brain. Probably it means something. Maybe he'll ask Stephen.

"Mornin', sweetcheeks," he says to Moxie as she pokes her little spiny head out of her hide. "You hungry?" Moxie's a bearded dragon, and she's one of his favorite things in the world, right after his gang. Johnny's dad had gotten her as a gift for him about five years ago, after-

A text notification interrupts him in the middle of fishing crickets out of their tub. The group chat's active, and '...bees?' is typing. RJ's up early today. Their full handle is 'today's gender is ____', and they've been 'bees?' for about a week now, despite Ollie pointing out that it implies you have to change it daily.

>...bees? (7:21): we ready 2 put the plan into action today  
>mulder (7:21): i was up all night putting together clues  
>mulder (7:22): i even made one of those boards with the pictures and string and s**t  
>mulder (7:22): you guys should see it  
>mulder (7:23): [image attached]  
>ollie (7:23): stephen that's just a picture of the guy in the alien suit at your last bday party  
>mulder (7:24): f**k wrong pic  
>ollie (7:24): hey johhny u there?

Johnny dumps the crickets into Moxie's tank and watches her dart after them before replying.

>kingpin (7:26): yeah i was just feeding moxie  
>kingpin (7:26): oh d**n she just nailed that sucker  
>...bees? (7:27): say good morning to her 4 us!!!

He sends a picture of her chowing down on a cricket to the group chat. Ollie gives a heart emoticon.

>kingpin (7:29): we'll go over the plan one more time before school starts, sound good?  
>mulder (7:29): [thumbs up emoji]  
>ollie (7:29): yeah  
>...bees? (7:30): gotcha

Johnny puts the tub of crickets away and gives Moxie a quick pat on the head. "You be good, awright?" He says, and she blinks back at him before lumbering away to her basking spot. Johnny smiles and heads to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

He's out of the door by 7:55 sharp, ready to go pick up his boys. He heads towards Ollie's house first since he lives the closest. It's gonna be a good day, Johnny tells himself. He's gonna hang with his friends and they'll get to the bottom of this whole mystery, maybe rough up a nerd or two. Well. Maybe not a nerd. Maybe someone who's asking for it and can fight back. Yeah. That's better.

He's not going to think about the dream or the weird metal man. He's not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know so much more about bearded dragons now than i ever thought i would


	5. combustion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah it's max time!!

Compared to his first week in Mayview, Max thinks the next two go pretty well, all things considered. There haven't been any more spirit possessions or berserk trains, and so far he's successfully managed to avoid all of the Student Council's attempts to get him to join. Heck, his arm's even out of its sling, and he doesn't even need the doctopus most days. He still has to wear the cast for a couple more weeks, but that's not so bad. The plaster surface of it was covered in signatures from just about every single person in school. Johnny had claimed first dibs on the morning Max had showed up with it. Man, Isabel had been mad.

"I wanted to be the first!" She'd complained when they were in the Activity Club homeroom, waiting for Ed and Issac to get there. Spender was off doing who-knows-what. Max was slouched down on the couch, examining the cast. There were signatures there from people he didn't have any recollection of signing it.

"Johnny said he was gonna be the first and he'd beat up anybody who got in the way." He had a vivid memory of the much-larger boy barreling towards him at top speed, sharpie in hand. Max had an even more vivid memory of his own fearful scream and attempted evasive maneuvers, but he was trying to forget that.

"I would've fought him and I would've won." Isabel mimed giving a one-two punch, coming dangerously close to knocking Max's hat off.

"Hey, watch it!" He scooted safely out of Isabel arm-reach. "I promise next time I break something you can be the first to sign it."

"You better." She closed her eyes and crossed her arms with a fake huff, before shooting Max a grin and they both collapsed in giggles.

She'd still written her name as big as she could anyway, putting half of it on top of Johnny's out of spite. And, speak of the devil, Johnny's sitting in the desk next to him, staring at him. Again. It'd been a pretty regular occurrence for the past week and a half, and Max at this point had moved out of the 'creeped out' stage and onto the 'vaguely exasperated but accepting' stage.

"Dude, can I help you?" They're in Ms Baxter's class, but there's still a couple of minutes before passing time is over and the classroom is half empty. The Bax herself isn't even here yet.

"Mm. Wha'?" Johnny's got his face propped up on his hand, cheeked smushed into his palm. Apparently he'd somehow managed to doze off in the approximately five seconds between Max noticing him staring and saying something about it.

"You're staring at me. Again, I might add."

" 'm not." He sounds exhausted and it's clearly a struggle for him to keep his eyes open.

Max rolls his eyes a bit. "You definitely were. You've been doing that since the middle of September. I feel like I'm, y'know," he waves his hand around, searching for the right word, "under surveillance or something."

Johnny sits up a bit at that. "I'm not spying on you!" He protests, and Max catches his eyes flickering to the baseball bat he keeps in his backpack.

Oh.

Max had practically forgotten about the whole "Johnny saw Issac use his lightning powers" thing, especially since he'd seemed to have dropped the whole issue after the hitball incident. Actually, thinking about it...Johnny had been acting a little weird lately. More...Max doesn't know. Subdued? Picking less fights? Shoving less nerds into lockers? He hadn't even tried to beat Max up.

Max had kinda chalked it up to Hijack’s whole anti-bullying speech, but clearly there was something else going on. If Johnny's going the whole stealth-route to try and get dirt on the Activity Club, it's a safe bet the rest of his gang is too.

He's gotta tell Isabel.

"Well good, 'cuz that'd just be weird, man," Max quips after what was most definitely a suspiciously long silence. Johnny doesn't even seem to hear him. He looks like he's about two seconds away from nodding off completely and face-planting directly into the desk.

"Geez, how late were you up last night?" Max is looking at him a little closer now. Jesus, the shadows under his eyes are huge. He could pass for a raccoon, Max thinks.

"Nah, didn't sleep at all," Johnny slurs.

"At all?" Max feels his eyebrows climb up his forehead. "What the heck were you doing?"

"Not...sleeping?" Johnny offers, and whatever Max is about to say is cut short by the bell ringing and Ms. Baxter sweeping into the classroom.

Max finds it difficult to focus on mathematics. They're talking about algebra again today, stuff he already knows. His mind wanders off, and he finds himself sneaking glances at Johnny.

He's a little worried, despite himself. Sure, Johnny might be a huge, annoying, aggressive, and sometimes (oftentimes) scary pain in the butt, but Max is vaguely fond of him despite that. He's entertaining, at the least, and generally not a bad person, once you get past his tendency to punch first and talk later.

He forces himself to stop looking at Johnny and turns back to the front of the classroom. Ms. Baxter is talking about quadratic equations now. Max proceeds to zone out for the rest of the lesson.

The bell rings again, jerking him back to reality.

"Remember to do the front and back of page seven and front of page eight for tomorrow," Ms. Baxter yells over the scraping of kids pushing their chairs back from their desks. Max packs his notebook and pencils away. Beside him, Johnny's barely moved.

"Hey," Max waves a hand in front of his face. Everyone else has fled the classroom by now. "Hello? Earth to Johnny?"

"Wha'?" He barely reacts, and Max frowns.

"Geez, man when's the last time you slept?"

"Uh...what day is it?"

"It's Thursday?" Max offers, starting to get seriously concerned.

"Uh..." Johnny's thinking hard. "Monday? I think?"

"Oh, sh-" Ms. Baxter says from her desk suddenly. She cuts herself off with a guilty glance at the two of them. "I gotta some make copies. You guys get to your next class, okay?"

"Will do." Max says as she leaves, then immediately turns back to Johnny. "Three days?! You gotta go to the nurse or something!"

" 'm fine!" Johnny says belligerently. He shoves himself to his feet to prove his point and immediately topples over.

"Woah!" Max lunges forward and catches him before he hits the ground. Well, he tries to anyway. He's only got one good arm and Johnny's a lot heavier than he is, so Max finds himself awkwardly doing the splits in an attempt to hold them both up. A flash of movement outside the door catches his eye and Max almost drops Johnny in relief.

"Hey! Isabel!" He yells to his friend, and she pokes her head back around the corner. "I need you and your beautiful strong biceps over here!"

"That's the weirdest compliment I've ever gotten but I'll take it," Isabel says as she enters the classroom. She stops dead when she sees the situation. "What did you do to Johnny?"

"I didn't do anything!" Max retorts, indignant. "He just passed out so technically he did this to himself. Help me get him to the nurse, will ya?"

"You sure get yourself into weird situations, huh," Isabel teases as she slings one of Johnny's arms around her shoulders, taking half his weight. Johnny wakes up long enough to mutter something that sounds like "you wanna go" before going limp again.

"Like you're one to talk. You live in a dojo and you fight-" He snaps his mouth shut before he says ghosts. He's not sure if Johnny can actually hear anything right now, but he's not going to take any chances. "I just remembered, I gotta talk to you after this. It's important."

Isabel shoots his a look that's equal parts befuddled and concerned. "Okay, then let's get this lug to the nurse."

They manage to drag Johnny down the hallways towards the nurse's office. Isabel's definitely doing most of the work, and Max tells himself he's gotta join a gym or something. Maybe lift some weights. They get plenty of weird looks, but nobody actually tries to stop them or ask what's going on, which is typical for this school, Max thinks.

"Hello!" Isabel yells as she impressively power-kicks the door open. The office is deserted. "Figures!" She mutters. Isabel hauls Johnny over to the empty bed and dumps him into it. "I'll go track down the nurse. You make sure he's uh...not dead or anything, 'kay?"

"Reassuring!" Max deadpans.

"Sorry." Isabel gives him her brightest smile. "I'm sure he's okay. Be right back!" She dashes out the door just as the bell rings. Max sits down on the spinney chair by the desk with a heavy sigh. He's gonna be late for English class. He'd been working on earning more Starchman stars because, against his better judgment, he wanted to at least try one of the drinks Lisa peddled in the school store.

"Looks like that plan's out the window," he says glumly. On the bed Johnny stirs slightly, blinking awake. "Hey!" Max scoots the chair over to him. "You feeling okay?"

"Where - wha?" He's squinting, obviously confused.

"It's the nurse's office. Isabel went to go find the nurse." Not that he'd be a lot of use, but sometimes it was nice to at least pretend an adult knew what they were doing.

"Why am I-" Johnny sits up and tries to get out of the bed.

"Uh-uh. No." Max presses his shoulder firmly, until he relents and lies back down. On impulse, he reaches out and presses his hand to Johnny's forehead, only to snatch it back almost immediately.

Johnny's practically burning.

"Dude, you're hot!" Max feels his ears flush as the second implication catches up to him. "Uh...you know what I mean." He jumps to his feet and rummages around in the drawers behind the desk, looking for a thermometer. "Look, I'm gonna take your temp, okay? You might have a fever or something." He eventually finds one and holds it up triumphantly.

"Y'sure you know how to use one of those?" Johnny's eyeing the instrument a bit suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah." Max says airily. He’s practically old hat at it. "My little sister was sick a lot when she was a baby, so I had to help my dad take care of her."

"...okay, I guess."

Max pops a new sanitary cover on the thermometer and sits back down on the chair, holding it in front of Johnny's face. "...y'know, you gotta open your mouth, right?" He says after a particularly long pause. Johnny looks a bit uncomfortable but obliges anyway. The awkwardness of the situation suddenly hits Max, and he pointedly avoids eye contact until the thermometer beeps, breaking the silence.

Max stares down at it. "I think you might need to go to the hospital," he says, finally.

"Wha- why?" Johnny twists over to look at it, practically falling out of bed in the process.

"Because according to this, you should be dead!" Max blurts. The thermometer reads 109 degrees. He remembers from health class last year that the average human temperature ranged from 97 to 99 degrees. Anything higher than 100.4 meant you had a fever. And anything higher than 106.7 degrees meant that your brain would basically fry itself to death.

He stares at Johnny and Johnny stares right back at him, eyes wide.

"Well, 'm not dead." He says. "So that thing's wrong."

Max gives a weak laugh. "Yeah. Probably."

Isabel chooses that moment to burst back in through the door, the very bedraggled nurse in tow.

"Look who I found!" She says, cheerfully. "What's the situation?"

"Johnny's dead," Max replies flatly, spinning around dramatically on the chair. He can hear Johnny spluttering behind him and has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Quit tellin' everyone I'm dead!" Johnny bursts out finally.

"Sometimes I can still hear his voice," Max continues, watching Isabel's face turn red as she struggles to keep her composure. He gets out of the chair and hands the thermometer to the nurse, who looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. "I think this thing's busted." Max points to the temperature reading. "But he definitely passed out in class and you'll probably wanna send him home."

The nurse takes it from him and stares at it, adjusting his glasses. "109? We're going to have to take this again, young man."

"Oh, before you do, could you write us some late passes?" Isabel flashes him her best, most charming straight-A-student-and-also-top-athlete smile, ignoring Johnny's loud groan. Max knows from experience that it has a 97.3% success rate with teachers. "Since we were helping him here and all."

"Oh, ah, yes, of course." The nurse fumbles around in his desk and pulls out two slips of paper, scribbling on them hastily. "Run along, now."  
"Thanks!" Isabel grabs them with one hand and Max's good arm with the other, jerking him out the door. "Feel better, Johnny!"

Max manages a quick goodbye wave and sees Johnny start to hesitantly wave back before Isabel bodily drags him down the hallway and stuffs him in a closet. Max thinks it's the same one she shoved him in his first week of school. He's starting to get real familiar with this place.

"Okay, that's over." Isabel finally lets go. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Geez, Iz!" Max takes a moment to complain, rubbing his wrist. "You almost broke my other arm."

"Aw, don't be a baby." She socks him lightly on the shoulder.

"I'll be a baby all I want," he huffs, before switching back into serious mode. "It's about Johnny."

"You mean the whole fainting thing?"

"No, I don't know what was up with that. I'm talking about something else." Max glances around furtively, shooting a spirit that's clearly trying to eavesdrop a death glare. It looks away and starts whistling. "You noticed he's been acting kinda weird recently?"

"Um...not really?" Isabel scratches her chin. "I only really see him in gym class, so..."

"Okay, well he has, and he's totally been snoopin' on me. I told you he knows about Isaac's powers, and he saw us in the train last month, right?"

"Oh-" Isabel closes her eyes and says something in Spanish that Max guesses is probably a curse. "I totally forgot about that."

"I'm pretty sure he knows about my bat too." Max reaches over his shoulder for it, frowning when his fingers closed around empty air. Oh, yeah. He'd left his backpack in Ms. Baxter's class. "Anyway, if he's been doing this, that means the rest of his gang definitely is too."

"Huh." Isabel puts her hands on her hips. "I guess that explains why that Stephen guy's been following me around."

"Wha- and you didn't think that was suspicious at all?" Max exclaims, and she shrugs.

"I dunno, I just figured he had like..." She waves her hand. "A crush or something. I just kinda ignored it 'cuz, y'know, I'm strictly into girls and also 'cuz he's super easy to distract if you start talking about aliens."

Max quietly files that tidbit away for later in case he ever finds himself needing a hasty escape from the Jang.

"Oh, man!" Isabel exclaims suddenly, whacking herself in the face. "That also explains why Ed's been hangin' with RJ so much recently. I just figured they kinda bonded over the whole hunting down Mr. Starchman thing. That and the fact that they're both big video game geeks."

Max has only heard vague allusions to the Starchman incident, and he's never asked for details because he really, really doesn't want to know. This time is no different. "That must mean Ollie's after Isaac," he says, pressing on, using process of elimination. "I don't think they've figured out who he is yet, though."

"Good," Isabel says, and there's a silence. Max looks at her.

"What do you wanna do? Should we tell Spender?"

"No." The finality in her voice is so harsh it almost makes him flinch. Max knows she's still hung up on whatever happened between her and Spender last month. He can't really blame her, he guesses. It must hurt to find out that someone you looked up to and trusted was actively making things worse. Max has only been with the club less than a month, and he's already experienced first-hand the fallout that comes from Spender's secrecy.

"I'm just saying," he ventures finally, "the whole 'I'm gonna keep secrets from you 'cuz you kept secrets from me' thing doesn't seem very healthy."

"We can handle this ourselves." She crosses her arms, not quite meeting his eyes.

"It's your call." Max shrugs one shoulder. "I trust your decision."

"Thanks," she says quietly, giving him a wan smile, and Max scratches the back of his neck, feeling self-conscious.

"Yeah."

"Besides," Isabel brightens up, "even if they do figure it out, who's gonna believe them?"

"Suzy might," Max points out, and she deflates slightly. "She's been obsessed with you guys since the beginning of the school year."

"Ah, I can handle Suzy." Isabel always bounces back from any problem like it's her superpower or something, instead of controlling paper or uh...actually, he's not really sure what Flip-Flop does. "I'll tell Ed and Issac to be careful, alright?" She pulls out her phone and double-takes at the time. "Oh geez, gotta get to class!"

Isabel shoves a late pass at him and yanks open the closet door. "See ya later," she yells, darting off down the hallway. Max watches her go before turning and going the opposite direction at a much slower pace.

He almost makes it to English class before someone rugby tackles him from behind.

"Oh God, what!" Max yells, his face now married to the dirty tile floor of Mayview Middle. His nose smarts from the impact and he touches it gingerly. It's not bleeding, which is good. His arm hurts too, but not as much. Max rolls over with a groan and sees the silhouette of Ollie looming over him, Stephen sitting on his shoulders and RJ crouched behind one of his legs. Max promptly rolls back over and resists the urge to bang his head against the ground.

"Really not in the mood for whatever it is you're up to today, guys," he says, defeated, voice muffled. Ollie picks him up off the floor like he's a sack of flour and holds him at eye level, surprisingly gentle with his broken arm. " 'sup," Max manages, not really sure what else to say.

Stephen leans forward until the tip of his tinfoil hat is almost touching Max's nose. "What'd you do to Johnny?" He demands. "RJ saw you and that Guerra girl dragging him off somewhere."

"Uh...I brought him to the nurse?" Max is deadpan at this point. "He passed out in math class."

Stephen looks at RJ who looks at Ollie who looks at Max, unblinking. Max starts sweating. Is this some sort of weird intimidation technique? Are they going to beat him to a pulp if he loses this staring contest?

"He's telling the truth," Ollie says after several very uncomfortable seconds. Max breathes a sigh of relief.

"We don't know that!" Stephen protests from his perch. "He could be lying!"

"Dude, have you seen his little baby face? I don't think he's ever told a lie in his life."

"I'm super offended by everything you just said," Max retorts as Ollie sets him back down, picking up his hat from where it'd gone flying off and settling it back on his head. "You could've just asked me instead of, y'know, tackling me into the ground."

"Sorry." Ollie shrugs, not sounding very sorry at all. "RJ really wanted to try out this new move." RJ nods excitedly in agreement. "C'mon, guys. Let's go check out the nurses office."

Stephen gives Max a vicious 'I'm watching you' gesture as 3/4s of the Jang walk away. Max just barely resists the urge to roll his eyes and instead walks into Mr. Starchman's class, handing him the late pass. The dismissal bell rings about thirty seconds after he sits down, and Max puts his head on the desk and stays there for a good long time.

"You okay?" A voice sounds from above him, and Max looks up to see Violet standing there, one eyebrow raised.

"I have had a very, very long and ridiculous day, and it's only third period," he says, plaintively.

"Well, it's fourth period now." Violet gives him a friendly smile. "Lunch time. You going to the store?"

Max considers it. If he went to the school store, Lisa would try and milk him for information. If he went to the cafeteria, Suzy would try and milk him for information. If, God forbid, he went to the nurse's office because he was still kinda worried about Johnny, he would try and milk him for information.

Jesus. He wants to go home.

"Nah," he says finally. "Are you?"

"Nah," Violet repeats. "Me and Jeff are gonna eat outside today 'cuz it's nice." Her cheeks turn a bit pink. 

"Cool. Well, have fun." Max reaches for his backpack and remembers it's still in Ms. Baxter's classroom. He waves goodbye to Violet as she exits out the door.

His plan is to go get his backpack and his bat back, and then swing by the cafeteria to talk to Ed, see if Isabel passed along the message yet. He accomplishes the first part easy-peasy, but when he pokes his head into the cafeteria and sees Suzy heading towards him with a horrible little goblin look in her eyes, Max does an about-face and makes a beeline towards the nurse's office instead. He can at least say hi to Johnny.

The office is surprisingly deserted when he reaches it. The nurse himself being missing - again - isn't a shock, but Max had expected to at least see the Jang there. Johnny's snoozing on the bed, but he wakes up when Max comes in.

"Hey," Max greets him. "Where's your bully boys? Thought'd they'd be all crowded up in here."

"I told Ollie he had 'ta go to work and the nurse took Stephen and RJ to the principal's 'cuz they were daring each other to drink the rubbing alcohol." Johnny's eyeing him with a bit of a weird look on his face. "Why're you here?"

"Avoiding Suzy, mostly." Max plunks down on the end of the bed. "Why are you still here? Isn't someone coming to pick you up?”

"Nurse couldn't get hold'a my dad," Johnny mutters, looking away. "So he said I could stay here the rest of the day and sleep and I should be fine to walk home."

"That sucks." He opens his backpack and pulls his lunchbox out. "Hey, you hungry? I've got half of a, um," he cracks open the box and peers into it. His dad had insisted on making lunch today, so who knows what he was gonna find. "Ketchup and swiss cheese sandwich, if you want."

" 'm good. Thanks."

"I've also got a can of tomato soup." Max pulls it out and waggles it, half a crooked smile on his face. Johnny stares at him for a second before letting out a snort of laughter.

"It took me like three showers to get the smell of tomato offa me," he complains, and Max laughs.

"It was the only option I had at the moment! It's kinda hard to think when you're being chased by a gaggle of bullies, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess." Johnny's smile flickers. "Sorry 'bout that."

Max shrugs a bit. "It's cool. I never actually apologized for landing my scooter on your face so, uh, sorry about that too." He puts the sandwich down and holds out his good arm. "We even?”

"Yeah, guess so." Johnny takes his hand and Max jerks it away. His skin is still burning hot to the touch.

"Dude, how's your temp?" He can feel the heat emanating from Johnny. That is definitely not normal.

"That's the funny thing." Johnny gives him an unsure smile. "The nurse took it like five times and they all came back the same as when you did it. He says I probably just have a low fever and it's malfunctionin'."

"Weird." Max takes a bite out of his sandwich. It's not too bad actually. "What's the deal with the whole not-sleeping thing anyway?" He asks, mouth full. "You sick or somethin'?"

"No, I'm-" Johnny pauses, fingers worrying the blanket. "Just been havin' bad dreams, is all." He finishes, quietly. "Don't wanna sleep."

"Oh." Max gets it. He's been there. The first couple of days - and weeks - and months - after his mom had died had been rough. "Well." He finishes the sandwich and makes sure he actually finishes chewing before continuing. "You gotta promise me you get some sleep tonight, 'kay? Maybe not _promise_ ," he amends, his old hangup about them flaring up again. "Just, uh, make a concentrated effort? And maybe stay home tomorrow too. I can't have my favorite bully fainting on me again, alright?" God, he can't even look at Johnny. This is so sappy.

He finally sneaks a glance at him when the silence gets too unbearable. Johnny's looking at him, a vaguely stunned expression on his face. "What?" Max asks, immediately defensive.

"Nothin'."

The door to the office opens suddenly and the nurse enters. "Hey!" He exclaims! "No food or visitors allowed!" He makes a shooing motion with his hands. "Out with you, now."

"Whoops." Max packs up the rest of his food quickly and slinks over to the door. He turns around and catches a glimpse of Johnny mouthing 'I promise' before it's slammed in his face.

Max sighs and hikes his backpack further up his shoulder. Maybe he'll just finish his lunch in the Activity Club homeroom, get some peace and quiet.

Fat chance of that, he thinks sourly as he heads off. Mayview wouldn't know peace and quiet if it bit in the-


	6. intermit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapter update today since this one is so itty-bitty!

Forge is finding that following through with his plan is more difficult than he’d been anticipating. He wishes, once more, for his original body back, all his strength and prowess. Then he wouldn’t have to skulk about so. Complicating the matter is the fact that he doesn't want anyone to know of his presence, not even his host. If the sunglasses spectral found out about this...well. It would be bad for everyone involved.

So he's stuck, mostly. He's been trying to continue his search for the Doorman, in stolen moments, in the dead of night when he can sneak this child's body out to the woods but still have him back in bed at a reasonable hour. His search has been fruitless so far, with such a limited window of opportunity. Forge wishes he had asked the location of their base of operations, but he knows neither the Doorman nor their rabbit-like assistant would have told him. 

Forge also knows every time he takes possession of the boy his bad dreams increase. He thinks of them as dreams, anyway. In reality it's them brushing past in the spirit world, and Forge is always torn between needing to stay silent and wanting to apologize. He hadn't been anticipating the boy to refuse to sleep, practically destroying himself from the inside out. Forge had been half-tempted to forcibly take over and make him rest. His conscience may be blackened, but he's not a complete monster. He doesn't want to see a child suffer. Fortunately he'd seemed to take the other boy's - his friend? Forge can't quite parse the complicated jumble of emotions that pass through his host in the boy's presence- to heart, and resumed sleeping.

He can feel what his host feels, both physically and emotionally, and knows, with a slight guilty twinge of his heart, that the changes that come with becoming a spectral are terrifying him. Were Forge's mission not so important he would speak to him, assuage his fears.

But for now, he simply keeps quiet and listens, waits, continues to search the woods.


	7. flamethrower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapter update today! this is the second part!

Johnny's seriously considering starting to not sleep again. It's only been about a week since he made that promise to Max, but the dreams keep getting worse. The same dream, of the metal man and the fire, mixed in with his recurring childhood nightmare. It's like his whole mind is going up in flames.

He's lying on his bed right now. It's only a bit after ten. It would be easy to get up and do something else, like watch a movie, or play a game. Maybe even read a book. It's Friday, which means his dad wont be home until the early hours of the morning, or maybe not even at all, so it's not like he'd be disturbing anybody.

But he can't. He did promise, after all, and Johnny never breaks his promises. Plus, he really doesn't want to pass out in class again. God, that had been embarrassing. The thought of it makes Johnny bury his face in his pillow, muffling his groan. It would've been easier if it had been anybody _but_ Max, Johnny thinks. Plus there'd been all that weird stuff with his temperature, and then Suzy'd started snooping around trying to get an 'interview' for her 'article' in the 'newspaper', and it'd just been a very stressful and annoying situation. No way was he going through that again.

Johnny pokes his head up from the pillow and stares balefully at the wall. He's itching to talk to someone, but he knows all of his friends are unavailable this weekend, so there's no use grabbing his phone.

The strange thing is, despite him sleeping again, is that he doesn't feel rested. Sometimes, he wakes up in his bed in the middle of the night sore and aching. Sometimes, there's dirt under his fingernails that he doesn't think was there before.

And he has this weird feeling that something's been slipping away from him. He can't quite put his finger on it, but it unsettles him.

He's hot again. Johnny gets out of bed and goes over to the window, something he's been doing almost every night for about a month now, and opens it. He puts his elbows on the sill, leaning out and taking a deep breath of the cool air -

\- and the next thing he knows, he's lying on his back, staring at a man who has a keyhole for a face.

Johnny doesn't breathe for a long moment. He just stares. This has to be a dream, right? Or another hallucination, like the purple things? But this one isn't purple.

Johnny sits up, screams, and crabwalks away as fast as humanely possible. His hand passes over something sharp as he goes, and it hurts. A lot. This definitely isn't a dream, then. He whips his head around frantically, taking in his surroundings. He's in... - a house? An abandoned one, by the looks of it. There's plants growing up through the floorboards. It's dark in the house, the only light coming from a couple of candles flickering on the floor. The shadows pass over the smooth metal of the being's face, making it appear ominous and threatening.

"Oh dear." The keyhole-faced man is wringing his long, spindly fingers, and they somehow creep Johnny out more than his face, which is really saying something. "It appears our friend Forge has lost control over his host."

"Geez, Doormy, you're freaking the poor kid out." A rabbit or something hops out from behind the man. "Take it easy, buddy. We ain't gonna hurtcha."

"Back off!" Johnny yells, aiming a kick at it when it hops closer. The rabbit splits into two and his foot passes harmlessly through the space between them. "What the-" Johnny skitters backwards some more, and only stops when his back hits the wall. 

"Woah, chillax!" The rabbit scampers back to the keyhole man. "What's going on? This has never happened before!"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Johnny says loudly. His mind's racing and he's breathing hard. Has he been kidnapped? What are those things? What do they want with him, anyway? Man, Stephen's gonna have a field day with this when he tells him, and he is going to tell his friends everything, Johnny decides. Just gotta get outta this sticky situation first.

The pair ignore him. "I'm not sure," says the keyhole man, tugging at his hat nervously. "Perhaps it has something to do with the Master? She spoke to Sir Forge the first time tonight, after all. It took so long for him to find us, she'd almost given up all hope."

"Maybe?" The rabbit says doubtfully. "That doesn't really make a lot of sense."

This is all going over Johnny's head. Who's Forge? Why'd they call him a...a what? A host? His hand edges towards his pocket, and he sneaks his phone out. Johnny may not be a fan of the fuzz, but there's some situations where you just gotta dial 911.

He says about seven different curse words when he sees the 'service unavailable' message on the screen.

The rabbit and the man are looking at him now. "Y'think maybe if we knocked him out Forge would come back?" The rabbit says, and Johnny feels a spark of fear flare up in his stomach. Oh, God, they're gonna kill him.

"Nin!" The keyhole man sounds shocked. "You can't hurt a child!"

"I'm not saying hurt him permanently!" The rabbit protests. "You don't even have to hit him that hard. Actually, probably be better if ya didn't. Humans are kinda squishy."

"I'm not going to-" the man holds his fingers to what passes for his forehead and sighs. "Why don't we start this over again?" He asks, holding a hand out and advancing on Johnny. "Hello. I'm the Doorman, and this is-"

"Hey! Stay away!" Johnny struggles to his feet, bracing his arms on the walls behind him.

"We're not going to-" the man reaches towards him.

"I said stay back!" Johnny yells, and the spark in his stomach leaps upward. He feels a rush of hot air blow past his face and - what?

His eyes widen as the man staggers back, fire licking at the ends of his sleeves. The flames dance wildly in the polished brass reflection of his face as he struggles to extinguish it.

Did - did he just -

He just breathed fire.

Johnny feels his chest seize up. He watches, frozen, as the fire crawls over the man. The rabbit's multiplied into dozens, each frantically patting a section down. An ember flicks out, lands on the wizened plant matter pushing between the cracks in the floorboards and the walls. This whole place is going to go up, he realizes dimly. Trying to think is like trying to walk through soup.

One of the rabbits turns its head, meets Johnny's eyes. It's enough to shock him back into reality. He can smell the smoke and hear the crackle of the fire. It's an eager sound, like it's waiting to multiply into the roar of an inferno.

Johnny turns on his heel and runs.

It's brighter outside than it was in the house. The moon's huge over his head, the trees casting long shadows that crisscross under his feet, like the net of a trap. He's in the woods? How is he in the woods?

It's not really an urgent question, because right now he's more preoccupied with running. He tears through the undergrowth like a bat out of hell. Possibly literally, considering the blaze he left behind. Johnny spares a glance behind him and sees that the ground is smoking where his footsteps fell.

The blood's pounding in his ears and he's got a huge stitch in his side, but he doesn't stop running until he hits something solid. He bounces back and lands in the soft dirt with a strangled noise, all the wind knocked out of him. His nose hurts, and Johnny reaches up and touches it cautiously. His fingers come away wet. It doesn't feel broken, but it stings like crazy.

He lies there for a good long time, watching dark shapes, both familiar and unfamiliar, dart across the sky above him, listening to the quiet rustle of the trees in the wind. The smell of ash is all around him. It's coming from him, Johnny realizes, and he wants to gag.

Did he kill that guy? Did he?

Yeah, they'd probably kidnapped him, but that doesn't mean Johnny wants him dead.

He feels sick.

He pulls out his phone, hands shaking. It's almost two in the morning. He wonders if his dad would be home by now and notice that he's missing, or if he'll be out all weekend again.

He's got one bar of service right now, and he really, really hopes this message goes through.

>kingpin (1:52): anybody there????? really need 2 talk rn its an emergency

It sends, and he waits, hoping foolishly, for a response.

Nothing.

Johnny lets his arm flop down on his chest and he closes his eyes. What's he gonna do now? He can't call the cops. They'll pin the burning house on him, won't they? Yeah. They would. He can't tell his dad. He wouldn't believe him. His friends probably would, but they're not available right now.

That leaves just one person.

Johnny sits up, determined. He wipes his nose with the back of his hand, smearing blood all over his face. He squints in front of him. He can't see anything, so what exactly did he run into? Johnny reaches out, cautiously, and his fingertips press against something smooth and solid, leaving little spots of red behind. He stretches out, feeling stupidly like one of those people who pretend they're stuck in an invisible box. The force field or barrier or whatever the heck it is goes up as far as he can reach. He walks along it a little bit, keeping one hand pressed flat against the invisible surface. It seems like it goes on forever, but Johnny can feel it start to curve, so it must be a circle.

A circle around Mayview? To keep things out? Or to keep things in?

Things like him?

Johnny shudders and turns away from the wall abruptly, facing towards where he thinks the center of the city is. He steels himself for a long walk back.

He's gotta talk to Max.


	8. dousing the flames

Max wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of a rock being thrown against his window. He’s absolutely sure that’s what it is, ‘cuz he remembers the sound from all the times he and his friends used to do that to each other back in Baxborough. He still lies there without moving, though, hoping that he's just imagining things and there's not actually someone out there throwing rocks at his window in the middle of the flipping night.

The sound comes again. Max just barely, barely resists the urge to scream.

"Um, Mr Max?" PJ is at the window, Lefty hovering protectively over his shoulder. "There's someone standing in the street."

"No there's not," Max says flatly, staring up at his ceiling.

"Uh..." PJ clearly was not prepared for that. "Yes...there is? I can see him. Oh, wait, he's picking up another rock."

There's another thwack! and the windowpane rattles in its frame. That does it. Max springs out of bed and yanks the window up.

He's definitely not expecting to see Johnny Jhonny standing there, illuminated by the streetlight on the corner. "Johnny!" Max yells as best he can without actually yelling. "What the heck are you doing?"

"I gotta talk to you!" Johnny for-real yells back up at him, and Max makes a violent shushing motion.

"Hey, keep it down! My family's asleep!"

"Sorry!" Johnny yells again. Max wants to bang his head against the windowsill.

"Why do you need to talk to me, specifically, at," Max glances at his alarm clock, "3:30 in the morning? Where's your friends?"

"RJ's outta town for a concert and Ollie's at his mom's this weekend and Stephen's super duper grounded, and I really, really need to talk to somebody!"

Max catches the note of desperation in Johnny's voice and hesitates. He leans further out his window, taking a good look at his classmate. Even from this distance Max can tell Johnny's in rough shape, and he wonders if he got into a fight. "Fine," he says, relenting. "I'll be right down."

"Nah, I'll just come up!" Johnny calls. "Just toss down a couple sheets or something."

Max stares at him for a solid minute. "...are you serious," he says, finally.

"Dead," Johnny crosses his arms.

Max heaves the biggest, most dramatic sigh he's ever heaved in his life and turns towards his bed. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he mutters as he ties his bedsheets together, slightly hampered by the fact that he only has one good arm, with the strongest knot he knows (thanks, Baxborough Boy Scouts) and chucks it out the window. He doesn't have anything to tie the end to, so he just sits down and holds onto it.

"Mr Max, you know this guy?" PJ's crouching - well, not exactly crouching, 'cuz he doesn't have legs, but the best ghost equivalent to it - next to Max, occasionally poking his nose over the windowsill and peering down. "He looks, um, kinda scary?"

"That's just his face." Max is mostly lying on the end of the bedsheet rope by now, because Jesus, Johnny's heavy, and he'd almost had the end pulled out of his grip several times. "You doin' okay down there, bud?" He calls out the open window.

" 'm fine!" Johnny yells back, sounding winded. Max really hopes a cop doesn't drive by right now, because this has to look super suspicious. "Told ya I'd make it," he pants about five minutes later when he finally appears in the window, grabbing on to the sill.

"I'm so proud." Max glances up and lets go of the rope in shock. Luckily, Johnny's already halfway into his room. Unluckily, his bed sheets go slithering over the sill, landing with a soft thump on the street below. "Jesus, dude, what happened to you?! You get mugged or something.?"

"Uh...it's a long story. Which is also why I'm here, so, y'know..."

Max gets up and turns on the lights so he can make sure he's actually seeing what he's seeing. PJ shrieks in terror and flees the room, Lefty following like a concerned parent.

Johnny's standing in his room and he smells like smoke. Half his face is covered in dried, crusted blood, and the other half is smeared with dirt. The front of his shirt's spotted with red. Tiny little cuts and scratches run up his arms. He's not wearing shoes, Max notices, and his feet are all cut up too.

"What, and I repeat, what, happened to you?" Max asks incredulously, making a slow circle around Johnny.

"I set a house on fire." There's a look in his eyes that reminds Max of his own face staring back at him in mirror in the days after his mom died.

"Oookay! Please do not confess to committing arson to me, because I'm gonna have to call the cops!" Max is kinda panicking now, half out of worry for Johnny, half out of the fact that he might actually have a wanted criminal in his bedroom. That's called conspiracy, right? Max has a mental image of himself being hauled away in the back of a police car, his dad and Zoey tearfully waving goodbye.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Johnny protests, yanking him back to the present. "I was kidnapped!"

"Wha- by who?"

"By-" Johnny hesitates, chewing his lip. "By a guy with a doorknob for a face," he says, quietly.

Max feels his knees go a little wobbly. "I think you were just imagining things, from the stress-" he starts, weakly, and Johnny's head snaps up.

"Don't give me that!" His voice is heated. "I know there's been weird stuff goin' on! I saw it with my own eyes! I know you and your friends have freaky powers! I've been...I've been seeing things, too!"

"What kinda things?" Max asks, cautiously. Johnny looks like he's about two seconds away from having a panic attack.

"Things that shouldn't exist!" Johnny fires back. "But...the thing is they're always purple."

"Oh boy." Max sits down on his now-bare bed before his knees can give out completely.

Johnny's a spectral.

Max starts thinking furiously. What? How? And most importantly, why? He looks Johnny up and down, searching for anything that could be a tool. He doesn't see anything, so unless it's his hair dye, which Max sincerely doubts, it must mean he's possessed. Which is just great. Fantastic. Spender's gonna love this.

"What?" Johnny demands. "Why're ya lookin' at me like that?"

Max sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Okay." He looks up at Johnny's dirty, bloody face. "Tell me everything, and I'll try to explain stuff. But first, you gotta get cleaned up, man. You're making a huge mess on my floor."

"Whoops." Johnny glances sheepishly at the accumulating pile of dirt on the floorboards.

Max goes over to his dresser and pulls a drawer open. "I dunno if I've got anything big enough to fit you," he says, rummaging. "Oh, wait, never mind." He pulls out a shirt and tosses it at Johnny. "That was my mom's work shirt, so you better not mess it up, okay?" A towel follows after the shirt, whacking Johnny in the face. "Bathroom's down the hall to the right."

Johnny just stands there, towel in one hand and shirt in the other, looking uncertain.

Max raises and eyebrow at him. "You good?"

He jumps a bit, looking startled. "Uh, y-yeah. This is just...weird?"

"You're weird," Max teases, hoping to activate Johnny's fight response so he can get him out of his room and he can think for a bit.

It works. "You're weirder!" Johnny blusters back, throwing the towel over his shoulder and practically hightailing it out Max's room. He looks like he's about to slam the door for a moment, then changes his mind and gently leaves it open a crack.

Max flops backward on his bed and stares at the ceiling. A dark-eyed face timidly peers through it.

"Hey, PJ," Max says. "Could you do me a favor and go keep an eye on Johnny so he doesn't destroy my bathroom or anything? Just, uh, don't let him see you 'cuz he'll probably try to fight you."

"Um, okay?" PJ sounds super nervous. "Can I take Lefty with?"

"Knock yourself out, buddy."

"I don't think I can, Mr. Max, since I'm a ghost and all-"

"It's an expression." Max closes his eyes. "It means go for it, do whatever you want, et cetera. You know?"

"Ohhh," PJ says. "I got it! Leave it to me!" He zips off towards the bathroom, Lefty in hot pursuit.

"I wanna go back to sleep," Max mutters to his empty room. This is seriously throwing his weekend plans outta whack. He sits up and glances towards his phone. He should definitely tell the rest of the Activity Club about this, right? Or at least Isabel. He reaches for the phone, then hesitates. He doesn't wanna wake her up. Or ruin her weekend either, for that matter. Maybe he'll just wait til Monday, introduce Johnny to everyone then. That gives him two days to figure out Johnny's powers and how to keep them under control.

Yeah. That sounds good.

Max still can't believe that Johnny, out of all the people in his school, is a spectral. It's like the universe is conspiring against him, personally. He wonders what kinda spirit's possessing him - probably one with fire powers, since Johnny did say he'd burned a house down. Johnny and fire is like the world’s worst combo, Max decides grimly.

Johnny comes back into his room, still looking beat-up but a lot cleaner. Max feels his heart twinge a bit at seeing his mom's old shirt. It's huge on Max, and it's still a bit big on Johnny. Max forces the feeling down and points at his bed. "Sit."

Johnny does, suddenly looking nervous. "Okay," Max says, staring at him. "Talk."

"Where d'ya want me to start?"

"I dunno, how 'bout when you first started seeing the shades?"

"The wh-"

"The purple things."

"Oh." Johnny's still holding onto the now-damp towel, and he's twisting it in his hands. "In gym class, after hitball. I saw somethin' on your arm, but I thought I was just imaginin' things." 

"Whoa, you saw the doctopus?" Max frowns, hand on his chin. "Okay, back up. The day before hitball was uh...we were in the train and you guys were running around, so...you must've got possessed by something out in the woods."

Johnny's giving him one of his trademark blank looks. Max sighs. "I'll get to it. Keep going."

"Okay, uh, well, I just? Kept seein' 'em? Not the same things, but a bunch of different freaky ones. I thought I was losing my mind."

"I don't think there's much to lose," Max quips, and Johnny frowns at him. "Sorry." He feels a little bad. "That was mean."

"Then I started havin' weird dream," Johnny continues, ignoring him. "I told ya 'bout that, right?"

"Yeah." Max nods. "What kinda dreams?"

"Well, they're always the same, pretty much." He's got that look back in his eyes, staring at a spot over Max's shoulder. "Everything's always on fire, an' there's this big monster man made outta metal."

Max slaps his fist into his palm and Johnny jumps. "That's probably your spirit," he says, pointing at Johnny. "Mine's made of metal too. Actually, I think it just...wears metal? Like clothes. Also it like, eats metal?"

Every word has clearly gone right over Johnny's head. Man, Max is really bad at explaining things. He waves a hand. "Keep going."

"That's pretty much it 'til tonight. I went to bed an' woke up in an abandoned house with that doorknob guy. They kept sayin' something about, uh, a forge?" He looks at Max questioningly, and Max shrugs. He doesn't know anything about a forge.

"Did he attack you? Is that why you had blood everywhere?" From what Max knows of the Doorman, him attacking anyone seems very out of character, but hey, he'd only met the guy - uh, spirit - once.

"Nah," Johnny says breezily. "That's from when I ran into the invisible wall out in the woods."

Ah. Yep. The barrier around Mayview strikes again.

"You said you set that house on fire, right?" Man, Issac is not going to be happy when he finds out his secret hideaway got arsoned in the middle of the night.

"Yeah. I think I...breathed it?" Johnny freezes suddenly, eyes going wide. "Oh my God. I think I killed that guy."

"Wha-who? The Doorman?" Max asks, and Johnny nods. He's starting to breathe a little faster, and Max notices his hands have started shaking. Oh geez. Max knows the beginnings of a panic attack when he sees one. "Hey," he says, keeping his voice as soothing as possible. "Spirits are pretty tough. A lot tougher than humans. So I'm pretty sure he's fine." He puts a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Okay?"

Johnny still looks doubtful, so Max puts his other hand on his other shoulder and turns him so they're facing each other. "Hey. Johnny. Look at me, please." Johnny drags his gaze away from the space over Max's head and meets his eyes, his own wide. "I've seen spirits bounce back from worse, all right? Now I need you to take a deep breath and calm down."

He takes a huge gulp of air and pulls away, burying his face in his hands. "Sorry," Johnny mutters. "I just - I'm not good with fire."

"It's cool." Max keeps his hand on Johnny's back 'til he feels his shaking stop and he sits up, face as red as his hair. Embarrassed, Max thinks, his guess proven correct by the fact that Johnny refuses to look at him. "So," he says, eventually, after a long, awkward silence. "You wanna see my powers?"

Johnny shoots him a quick glance before turning away again, face still red. "Yeah." There's half a crooked smile on his face.

Max leans down and pulls his bat out from where he keeps it under his bed. He can feel the power humming through it, the attraction that always pulls him in closer. He closes his eyes and concentrates, fishing around for anything metal in the room. He can feel the traces of it in the earth, in him and Johnny. It's not enough for him, not yet, and he moves on.

There's a stray bolt under his dresser. A zipper that fell off a jacket in the closet. An empty pop can in his trash. Max pulls them in, and when he opens his eyes, there's several assorted odds and ends stuck to his bat.

"Woah," Johnny breathes.

"Cool, right?" Max flashes him a grin. "I can also do this." He passes the bat to Johnny, who holds it almost delicately. Max holds up his finger, concentrating. He's finally figured out how to make a pretty decent spec-shot. He's still the worst in the Club, but Johnny doesn't need to know that.

He summons up a bit of spectral energy, aims, and fires it out the open window. The burst of black goes flying out into the night with an audible whine.

"Woah!" Johnny says again. "I wanna do that!"

"It'll probably take you a bit to learn that," Max says, taking his bat back and cradling it in the crook of his arm. "We can teach you, though."

Johnny shoots him a look. "You mean you and your friends and that sunglasses teacher? Mr. Spencer?"

"Uh...yeah. And it's Spender," Max corrects. "You ever heard of the Activity Club?"

"Yeah." Johnny runs a hand through his hair. "Suzy was tryin' 'ta get me 'an the boys to snoop on you once."

Max half laughs at that. "Suzy's like, obsessed with us." He wastes a second having a vivid flashback to her blackmail session. "She's always trying to figure out what we really do."

"What do ya do?"

"We fight ghosts," Max says, matter-of-factly. Johnny nods, like he's taking this all in stride. "And uh, do other supernatural and paranormal stuff. That's why it's called the Paranatural Activity Club."

"Nice." Johnny grins. "I like that name."

"Yeah, Isabel came up with it - woah, wait a sec." Max leans forward, squinting. "Dude, what's up with your teeth?"

"What's with my wha?" Johnny's hands go to his mouth. Max doesn't how either of them didn't notice this before.

Johnny's teeth are sharp. Like, crazy sharp. Max is reminded of a shark's grin, full and bristling.

"What the-" He's got half a hand inside his mouth by now. " 'scuse me." Johnny jumps to his feet and rushes out the door. Probably to the bathroom, Max thinks, trailing close behind. Yep. Johnny's staring in the mirror, hands gripping the edge of the sink, knuckles white. Max sees PJ poke his head out from around the shower curtain and frantically makes a shooing motion with his hands, then just as frantically tries to look unsuspicious when Johnny glances over at him.

"I can't decide if this is cool or not," he says eventually. "I think- ow!" His hand goes to his face and he frowns. "Bit m'lip. That's gonna take some gettin' used to."

Max is trying and failing to keep from staring at Johnny's messed-up shark teeth. "Man, whatever spirit possessed you must have a heck of a mean bite."

Johnny frowns again, this time directing it at him. "Y'keep talking 'bout that. Ya gonna explain or what?"

"It's, uh.... Hrmg." Max holds his hands up, makes a face. How can he explain this in simple, Johnny-friendly words? Spender's stupid yarn metaphor briefly pops into his head, and Max ignores it. He's pretty sure anything he can come up with would be better than that. "Okay. Come on back to my room and I'll show you my bat."

"I already saw that," Johnny complains, but he follows anyway. Max ignores that too.

"So," he says, picking up the bat and knocking on it. "Ghosts exist, right? They're basically like, um, leftovers of people who've died." Geez, that's an awful way of putting it. Max grimaces and says a silent apology to PJ. "There's also spirits, who are kinda like ghosts, but they were never alive in the first place. Make sense?"

"...no?" Johnny's sitting cross-legged on his bed. Max doesn't think he's ever seen him pay this much attention to anything before.

"Yeah, it kind confused me too. Uh...anyway, those purple things you've been seeing are spirits. When you first get your powers you only see them for a little bit at a time." Max shoulders the bat and jerks a thumb towards it. "Also, sometimes when spirits get hurt they like...live inside objects for a bit 'til they get better."

"Y'saying there's a weird ghosty thing living in that bat?" Johnny sounds a bit doubtful. "Why not somethin' cooler, like a sword or like...I dunno, whatever ghosts are always haunting in movies?"

"Hey, don't knock it." Max points the bat at him. "There's a really big, really cranky metal-eating snake with magnet powers living in here and it might eat your face if you bug it."

"Wait, really?"

"Well, it's only tried to eat my face once." Max glares at the bat. "I call 'em Scrapdragon. Anyway, if you're a spectral-"

"A wh-"

"That's us," Max says impatiently. "Y'know, people with powers. If you're a spectral, you can use a spirit-possessed object and like, um, borrow their powers? They're called tools."

"I don't gotta 'tool', though," Johnny says, making air quotes. Max feels an awful, Grinch-like grin slowly slide over his face. Oh man, he can't resist this.

"Nope!" He says cheekily, half ducking and raising his hands, already prepared for Johnny's oncoming onslaught. " 'cuz you're the tool!"

That does it.

Johnny launches himself off the bed and tackles him to the ground. Max knows he's making this stupid, wheezy laughing sound as he's bowled over, but he can't stop it. It's like five in the morning and he's exhausted, and this whole situation is just so completely ridiculous.

"Call me that again and I'll- I'll punch ya!" Johnny blusters, clearly knocked off balance by Max's giggle fit. "What're you laughing for, anyway?"

"Oh please," Max says through a redoubled bout of laughter. "You haven't tried to fight me in like a month."

"Well-" Johnny's ears go bright red again, and he's clearly struggling for words.

Max is finally able to get himself under control and shoves Johnny half-heartedly in the chest. "Get off me, would ya? I can't breathe." Johnny scrambles off him like he's the one with fire powers instead, and Max raises an eyebrow, then rubs his face. "Oh God. Okay, I'm good." He takes a deep breath and forces the giggles that threaten to come spilling out again deep, deep down inside.

"Okay," he says again, looking up at Johnny. "It's true though. Sometimes a spirit will possess people instead of objects, and you can use their powers directly. But it'll also change your body, which is why you've got sharp teeth and Issac's, uh, Issac's hair is spiky all on his own." Max still doesn't really believe that's a symptom of possession.

"Who's Issac?"

"Lightning legs," Max says simply, watching the realization dawn on Johnny's face.

"Oh." Johnny flumps down beside him, palm pressed to his forehead. "This is a lot of stuff 'ta take in."

"Yeah, it is," Max admits, thinking about how scary it'd been for him when his own powers started manifesting. "But it's worth it, in the end."

Johnny casts him a long sideways look, clearly thinking about something. "Hey, Max?" He sounds almost shy.

"Yeah?"

"Um..." He rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. "Can I stay here this weekend? I don't- I don't really wanna be alone right now."

"Sure, if you wanna." His dad would probably be okay with it, Max figures. Plus this gives him the opportunity to figure out the full extent of Johnny's powers. "Oh, wait, though." A sudden thought strikes him. "What about your parents? Do they even know you're here?"

Johnny makes a loud dismissive noise. "My dad's never home on the weekends," he mutters, and Max can hear the pent-up resentment in his voice.

"Oh." Max can't think of anything else to say. He gets to his feet just to break the awkward tension and goes over to his closet, dragging out boxes that he told himself he'd unpack weeks ago. "I think I've got a sleeping bag here somewhere."

"I want the bed." Johnny's staring at him, face blank.

"Wha- you don't get the bed!" Max exclaims. "It's my room!" He gestures at himself and then at the bed. "Plus there's not even any sheets on it 'cuz of your whole rope ladder climbing thing." Max pauses. "There's not even any sheets on it," he repeats to himself, quietly.

Two sleeping bags get thrown at Johnny in rapid succession.

"I am going to be so tired tomorrow because of this," Max complains as he crawls into his. He glances over at his alarm clock. It's 5:21. "Or technically today, I guess." The gray morning light is just barely starting to come in through his window.

"Sorry?" Johnny offers, already drifting off. "G'night, though."

"Night," Max says back, and pulls the sleeping bag over his head, ready to try and get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is just two hours of max trying to find those sheets


	9. updraft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> traumatic pasts: the chapter

Max is in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he hears the sound of his door being kicked open.

"Gooooood morning, son!" Comes his dad's voice. "Who's ready for breakfast?" There's a long pause. "...did you dye your hair?"

"Dad." Max appears at his elbow, still holding the foamy toothbrush.

"Max." His dad leans down to him, keeping his eyes locked on Johnny, who's blinking blearily back at them. "Who is that and why are your faces so similar?"

"That's Johnny. He's, uh..." Max frantically scrambles for a word to describe their relationship. What the heck is their relationship, anyway? "A friend? From school? He's gonna stay the weekend if that's okay."

"Aw, Max!" His dad slaps him in the back and he drops his toothbrush. "You don't have to sneak your friends over for a sleepover, you know. Everyone's always welcome here in la casa de Puckett! Good thing I made extra pancakes," he calls over his shoulder as he dances down the hall to go bother Zoey.

Max stares forlornly at his toothbrush lying on the floor.

"What just happened?" Johnny's sitting up in his sleeping bag, and he looks and sounds exhausted. Max can't blame him. He is too. It's only a little after nine, and Max hadn't gotten any sleep at all. He'd been too busy running through ways of teaching Johnny how to use his powers, and how he's gonna introduce him to the rest of the Activity Club. Overthinking, again. His special talent. He'd only gotten up about ten minutes earlier because his head was starting to hurt.

"You just met my dad." Max picks up the toothbrush and drops in the trash before leaning against the doorframe. "You want some breakfast? He made pancakes."

"Oh, sweet!" Johnny disentangles himself from the sleeping bag and bounces over to Max. "I'm starvin'."

"I'll bet," Max says dryly, and turns to head towards the kitchen. He stops when he feels Johnny's hand on his elbow. "Okay, I'm not really big on the whole being touched thing," he says, looking over his shoulder. "Just so, uh, just so you know."

"Sorry." Johnny lets go of him like he was burnt. "I just, um. Did you mean that?" His face is red again, and he's looking anywhere but at Max.

"Uh...mean what?"

"What you said earlier. That we're friends. Ya mean that?"

"Well, I mean," Max rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. Now he's looking anywhere but Johnny. "I don't...see why we can't be? I'm not usually so big on bullies, but y'know, you're not so bad." He shoots Johnny a little crooked half grin. "Just - dude, you gotta stop picking fights with random people. I think getting you into the Club will help with that, actually. Re-channel your aggression and all that."

Johnny's just staring at him.

"What?" Max starts. He's interrupted by the sound of his dad hollering from the kitchen.

"Guys, me and Zoey are gonna eat all these pancakes by ourselves if you don't get in here!"

"No, my pancakes!" Max books it towards the kitchen, Johnny right on his heels. He skids to a stop in the doorway, bare feet slipping on the linoleum floor. Johnny crashes into him from behind, and Max pitches forward with an oof. He grabs the sides of the doorframe to stop his fall, and Zoey claps from her spot at the table, wedged up against the washing machine.

"Nice job, Max." Zoey's already got a small mountain of pancakes on her plate. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Johnny." Max pulls out his chair and sits down, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice. He puts it back when he sees it's more pulp than anything else. There's also an eggshell floating in it, somehow. "Johnny, this is Zoey, my intern."

"Sister!"

"Same thing." He pushes the spare chair out from the table with his foot. "C'mon, help yourself."

"Woah, what happened to your face?" Zoey asks as Johnny sits down, pausing with her fork midway to her mouth.

"I got ki-"

"He, uh, ran into a wall," Max says quickly, slapping a hand over Johnny's mouth. It's technically the truth, anyway. Zoey looks between the two of them suspiciously, but finishes her bite of pancake. Max drops his hand from Johnny's uncomfortably warm face.

"Hey, kiddos." His dad pokes his head around the half wall that divides the dining area from the actual kitchen. "Bad news about the bacon. It's now bac-gone, 'cuz I burnt it."

"Boo," Max says with his mouth full. "Negative ten points for the awful pun."

His dad just grins and sticks his tongue out before retreating behind the wall.

"You should've heard him while he was actually cooking." Zoey points at him with her fork. "It was awful!"

"Zoey, I am a master of both the culinary arts and of punnery," his dad says as he takes his own spot at the table. “You'll appreciate it when you're older."

"Nuh-uh," she mouths at Max, and he nearly chokes on his pancake in an attempt to keep from laughing.

"So!" His dad says brightly, looking at him and Johnny, who's gone through about four pancakes by now. "What're you guys up today?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask. Could you give us a ride out to the woods?" Max's plan for today involves getting Johnny as far away from people as possible and test-driving his powers. The clearing where they first met the Ghost Train should work, he thinks. It's secluded, it's spacious, there's a stream nearby in case Johnny needs to be dunked in it.

"Aw, sorry bud. I can't." His dad sounds regretful. "Zoey's got that doctor's appointment today. It's time for her..." he looks around, then leans in. "S-H-O-T-S," he says in a loud whisper.

"Dad, I know how to spell," Zoey says dryly.

"Of course you do, honey." He gives her a big kiss on the forehead. Zoey pulls a face and rubs at it. "I just don't want you to be scared."

"I'm not scared! Max is the one who always cries at the doctor's!"

"Okay, first," Max holds up a finger in protest. "That was one time! Second, it was like three years ago, can we drop it already?" He aims a glare at Johnny, who's got a big, stupid pointy grin on his face.

"Never," Zoey says, smugly.

"What do you guys want to do in the woods anyway?" His dad asks, reaching for empty plates.

"Oh, you know." His mind blanks. "LARPing."

There's uncomprehending stares from all around the table.

"I'm kidding," Max says hastily. He mentally kicks himself. Thanks a lot, brain. "It's cool. We'll figure something out."

"Well, you guys have fun." His dad grabs the last of the dirty dishes and dumps them in the sink. "Zoey, you better go get dressed. We don't want to be late again."

Max goes to rest his chin in his palm and promptly sticks his elbow into a puddle of syrup. "Oh, yuck." He licks a finger and rubs at the sticky residue on his skin, thinking. They could walk to the woods, but that would take at least an hour or so, and Max doesn't really want to do that. And he can't think of anywhere else with no people around. "Y'know, this would be a lot easier if I still had my scooter," he says, giving Johnny a pointed look.

He gets a blank stare in return.

"That you broke?" Max prompts. "For like no reason?"

"Oh, yeah." Johnny sounds sheepish. "I can fix that for ya, y'know."

"Can you?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah. 'm good at fixin' things. And it wasn't for no reason. I was trying to figure out how your bat worked."

"Oh," Max says slowly. That does make a lot more sense. "Well, I've got all the parts up in my room if you wanna take a look at it later." Zoey wanders back into the kitchen, fully dressed for her appointment, and Max sits up a little straighter. He's got an idea. "Hey, Zoey," he calls. "Let me borrow your bike?" It'd be a little small, but it'd work.

"What? No." Zoey's staring at him like he's just grown another head.

"C'mon, please!" Max is a little desperate. "I'll do all of your chores for uh - a whole week!"

"Two weeks."

"Week and half."

Zoey considers it. "Fine. Plus, give me five dollars."

"No way!" Max protests, and she shrugs.

"Final offer, take it or leave it."

Max lets out a very long and increasingly nonsensical grumble before relenting. "Okay, fine."

"Ha! Extortion!" Johnny slaps the table. "I like it." He points at Zoey. "Y'know, I've been parting people with their hard-earned cash since I was your age. I can give you a couple pointers if y'want."

"Nope! Not doing that!" Max yells, dragging Johnny backwards out of the kitchen by the neck of his shirt. He did not like the way Zoey's eyes had lit up. Max makes a mental note to never leave Johnny and his sister alone together. 

"I like your family," Johnny says when they're back in his room.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool, I guess." Max sticks his head out into the hallway to make sure there's no eavesdroppers before closing his door. "Okay, here's the plan. We're gonna go out to the woods and you can show me your fire stuff, 'kay? But first you gotta call your dad and at least tell him where you are." Max ignores his protests. "Then you gotta go to your place and get some stuff, 'cuz you can't wear my clothes all weekend."

"Alright, fine." Johnny crosses his arms with a scowl. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Max takes a deep breath in preparation. "You can't tell your friends about this."

There's a very long, incredulous silence. "Yeah I can," Johnny says, eventually.

"No, you-"

"I'm gonna."

"Johnny-"

"I don't keep secrets from my friends!" He bursts out, heatedly.

"Haven't you been keeping all of...this...," he gestures vaguely as Johnny, "secret from them?"

Johnny reels back like he's been slapped. "I didn't- I - that's different," he mutters, looking at the ground. "I didn't want 'em to worry just 'cuz I thought I was going crazy."

Max sighs and softens. "Can you at least promise me not to tell them this weekend, 'til we get a handle on things? You can tell 'em Monday." Spender's not going to be happy about that, Max thinks, but who cares.

"...yeah. I can do that." Johnny looks back up at him, shoves his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "Hey, uh. You gotta charger I can borrow? My phone's completely dead."

Max just picks his phone up off his desk and points at it. It's a flip phone and it's old as dirt. "I don't think it'd work for yours." He hands it to Johnny, who takes it hesitantly. "I'm gonna go change, okay?" He says over his shoulder as he pops into his closet and grabs some clothes, then heads towards the bathroom. "Call your dad."

He bumps into his own dad in the hallway.

"Oh, hey, bud," he says. "Have you seen my keys anywhere?"

"Did you leave them in the fridge again?" It's either that, or the laundry machine, or the dishwasher.

"No, I don't think-"

"Dad!" Zoey yells, interrupting him. "I found them! They were in the fridge again!"

Max shoots his dad a vaguely smug look and he sighs, good-naturedly. "All right, score one for the son." He leans in a little. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, what's up?" He tries his best to sound unconcerned, but inwardly he's running through about a dozen different scenarios. What could his dad possibly want to talk about? Is this about that test he failed? Did he find out it was him (well, actually, PJ, who'd gotten a little carried away using his tool) who flooded the store instead of the sprinklers going off like Max had said? Did he- oh God, does he know about the whole fighting ghosts with magic powers thing?

"Your friend." His dad tips his head towards Max's room, cutting off his impending anxiety attack. "Is he, um, I mean - is he okay? I saw that he looked pretty beat up."

"Wha- oh." Max feels his brows furrow before he remembers that Johnny still looks like a mess. "Um, yeah. He's fine. He just uh...got in a fight at school?" It's not really a lie, Max reasons. Johnny does get into fights at school all the time.

"You sure?" His dad frowns, and Max nods vigorously.

"Yep."

"Well...okay. Just - let him know if he ever needs an adult to talk to I'm open, 'kay?" He ruffles Max's hair, and he ducks away with an exasperated groan. "You too, kiddo."

"I'll pass it along." Max looks away before any mushy feelings can take over and threaten his cool, stoic demeanor.

"Thanks, Max." His dad smiles at him and does an abrupt about-face. "Okay, Zoey, let's get going!"

"I've been ready for ages," she complains as they go down the stairs. Max watches them leave, their voices trailing away, then goes and gets changed.

Johnny's sitting on his bed when he gets back to his room, looking a bit put-out.

"Hey," Max says by way of greeting, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey," Johnny says back, absently. "Thanks for lettin' me borrow your phone."

"It's cool. You call your dad?"

"Voicemail." He's staring at the ground, scuffing a foot along the carpet. "I don't think he was even home last night. Definitely didn't notice I was even gone."

Max feels his stomach twist a bit. He's never heard Johnny sound so - hollow? He's always so passionate about everything he does, bouncing off the walls and bursting with energy. Fiery, even, at the risk of using a pun. He opens his mouth to say - what, he doesn't know, something stupid and trite - when Johnny suddenly shakes his head violently and stands up.

"Aw, forget it! Hey!" He grins at Max, all sharp. "Y'wanna come with me while I grab some stuff?"

"Uh-" Max hesitates, then shrugs. Why not? "Sure. Where do you live?"

"Not far from here, actually." Johnny jabs a thumb over his shoulder. "Like ten, fifteen minutes that-a-way."

"Oh, cool - hey, wait a minute." Max narrows his eyes, a question that he hadn't thought of before this moment forming. "How the heck do you know where I live, anyway?"

"Stephen followed ya home one day," Johnny says, like that's not weird at all. "Man, I still can't believe you live above a store. That's super cool."

"Hm. Okay." Max sighs slightly. About half of Mayview already knows where he lives, so what's a few more gonna hurt, he supposes. "You ready to go?" 

"I'm always ready." Johnny looks like he's about ready to go tearing down the hall, and Max holds out an arm in front of him.

"Woah, woah, wait, what about your shoes?"

"What 'bout 'em?"

"You don't have any? You can probably borrow some of my dad's. They'd be a bit big, but-"

"Nah, I'm fine," Johnny interrupts breezily. Max just rolls his eyes. He knows better by now to question whatever passed for logic in Johnny's head.

“If you say so. If you step on something sharp, though, don't come crying to me." He lowers his arm and Johnny takes off like a racehorse let out of the gate. Max bites back a vaguely fond smile and follows at a much more reasonable pace.

Johnny's playing with the cash register when Max gets downstairs. "Woah, no touching!" He exclaims, and Johnny makes direct eye contact with him as he opens the cash drawer again. "Wow. You're the worst."

"Not my fault this thing's fun to mess around with." He closes the drawer loudly. "Y'ever sell stuff?"

"Yeah, sometimes. Me and Zoey pitch in when Dad's busy." Max ushers Johnny out from behind the counter and towards the automatic doors, which slide open with a whoosh as they approach. He digs a key out of his pocket and locks the store behind them. A piece of paper taped to the glass catches his eye. "Store will open at one today, sorry for the inconvenience," he reads to himself. Max shoots a glance at his phone. It's almost ten-thirty right now.

He nudges Johnny with his shoulder. "Well, lead the way." A flash of color grabs his attention. "Actually, hold that thought." Max stonily retrieves his very sad-looking pile of discarded sheets from where they'd been lying all night, unlocks the door, chucks them inside, and re-locks it. "Okay, now we're good."

Mayview's quiet this morning, Max thinks as they walk along. It's shaping up to be a beautiful day, sun still hot from summer, the breeze blowing through with the promise of crisp fall nights soon to come. Johnny's staring at everything with huge eyes, and Max finds himself re-examing the spirits he'd gotten so used to seeing that they'd started to fade into the background.

"You can see that?" Johnny elbows him, pointing at a multi-legged spirit that squirms its way under the guardrail and down the hill.

"Yep."

"What about that?" He points at another spirit flying overhead, trailing motes of glitter.

"That too."

"What about-"

"I can see all of them," Max breaks in, gently. There may not be very many people out, but the spirits more than make up for them in both number and sheer diversity. They're everywhere: in the air, and on the ground, and, distantly, Max can see something stirring in the lake.

"This is so weird," Johnny says, but his face is delighted. He jumps over a turtle that's using its own shell as a chessboard. "I mean," he adds, "it's nice t'know I'm not cracking up, y'know?"

Max hums vaguely in agreement. He remembers how freakin' scared he'd been when he'd first started seeing the shades, and he'd only had to deal with that for a day. Johnny had been struggling with this for - what? Max counts the days back to the Ghost Train mission. Almost a month ago. That's a long time.

They pull up at an apartment complex about fifteen minutes later, and Max whistles, impressed. "Wow. Swanky."

"It's not really." Johnny looks embarrassed. "The other side of town's where all the richies live. This ain’t anything."

"Dude, I live above a flippin' 7-11," Max points out. "Anything's fancier than that."

Johnny snorts a laugh, and Max finds he can't suppress his smile. He follows him into the building, up three flights of stairs, and down the hall. Johnny pauses for a second to fish his key out, then unlocks the door and flings it open dramatically. "After you," he says.

"Such a gentleman," Max snarks, and he steps over the threshold into the dark apartment. He hears the door click shut and then the lights come on. "Ow, Jesus." He flinches, grinding the palms of his hands against his eyes.

"Y'okay?"

"Yeah, just kinda sensitive to light, I guess." Max tentatively blinks his eyes open and waits for the stinging in his brain to stop. "I'm good." He glances around him, then at Johnny. The tips of his ears are bright red again, Max notices.

The apartment's smaller than he was expecting, but it's clean and well-kept, if a bit on the bare side. They're standing in the kitchen. There's an empty beer bottle sitting on the table.

"My room's that way,' Johnny says, grabbing Max's good hand and dragging him in that direction. Max just goes with it, deciding it's not worth protesting. He can stand being touched for a couple seconds, probably. "Hey, y'can meet Moxie!"

"Uh...who?" Max feels his face scrunch up. Johnny hadn't mentioned any other family besides his dad, but then again, Max didn't really know him all that well.

"She's my lizard. She-" Johnny stops, stares down at where he's still holding Max's hand, and lets go so quickly and dramatically he almost smacks himself in the face. Max raises both eyebrows at that. "Uh - lemme just - you'll see," he continues, flustered.

His door is open and Max pauses in the entryway, taking everything in. Now this is more what he'd been expecting. Johnny's room is a mess, clothes and paper and bits of build kits scattered everywhere. B-list horror movie posters cover the walls, layered on so thick that Max can hardly see the plaster behind him. He glances up, briefly, and sees the remnants of old glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling.

There's a huge glass tank along one wall. Johnny's standing in front of it, beckoning him over impatiently. Max carefully picks his way over. "Check her out," Johnny says proudly, and Max crouches down, peering inside. A big brownish, spiny lizard looks back at him.

"Oh, awesome," he breathes, feeling a little jealous. Max had never had a pet. He'd wanted a dog, when he was younger, but his mom had been allergic. "What kinda lizard is she?"

"Bearded dragon," he says, and Max snickers. Johnny frowns at him. "What?"

"Nothing. I just think it's kinda funny 'cuz, y'know, you breathe fire and you have a dragon for a pet."

Johnny considers this. "Huh. Guess that is kinda funny."

"Told ya. Oh, woah, what's she doing?" The big lizard had started waving one of her arms around, and Max tries not to panic. Is this normal? Is he bothering her?

Johnny leans over his shoulder to look at Moxie. "They do that a lot, it's fine. She's just sayin' she knows you're here and she respects ya 'n stuff."

"Oh." Max watches her do another slow arm wave. It's kinda cute. "Should I, uh...should I wave back?" Johnny laughs at that, and Max scowls. "Hey, I was just asking."

"No, I'm - I'm not laughin' at ya, promise. You can if ya want."

Max turns back to the lizard and gives her a little hesitant wave. She blinks slowly in response. He takes that as a good sign. "She's cute," he says, glancing over at Johnny.

He's staring at him with an expression Max can't place. "What?" He demands, feeling a little stupid.

Johnny starts, like he's been jerked out of his thoughts. "Yeah, he is - I mean, she is - I mean, uh," he fumbles. "You wanna hold her?" He practically yells the question.

Max blinks. "Sure?"

He watches Johnny unlatch the top of the tank and reach in, carefully scooping up Moxie. "Hold your hands out," he demands, and Max complies. He gasps a bit at the little prickle of claws on his skin as Johnny sets her down. "Y'gotta hold her like this, see?" Johnny says, moving Max's hands so he's supporting the lizard properly.

"She doesn't bite, does she?" Max eyes her a bit nervously. She just tilts her head at him.

"Nah, not unless you really tick her off. She's a sweetheart." Johnny smiles at her. Wow, he really does love this lizard. "I'm gonna get some stuff, 'kay? Be right back."

Max can hear Johnny rummaging about in his room behind him, but he's more preoccupied with Moxie. He's never held a reptile before, and it's actually pretty cool, he thinks. He lifts a finger and tentatively runs it along her side, brushing the rough spines carefully. Moxie lifts her head and starts to clamber forward. "Oh, hey, not that arm," Max says, trying to redirect her. He doesn't want a big lizard crawling all over his cast. She pauses, then starts to climb the good one.

By the time Johnny comes back a few minutes later with a full backpack and a fresh change of clothes, including shoes, she's chilling on his shoulder. "Hey, she really likes ya," Johnny says with a sharp grin.

"Guess so." Max just barely stops himself from shrugging. He doesn't want to make her fall off.

Johnny picks Moxie up off his shoulder and puts her back in the tank with his empty hand. The other one’s holding a bowl full of what looks like diced vegetables. "I gotta feed her real quick an' then we can go, alright?"

"Yeah." Max bends down a little, watching Moxie make her way over to the branch in her enclosure and start climbing it. "What do they eat, anyway?"

"Crickets, mostly, and worms-"

"Ew." Max pulls a face.

"-also fruit an' veggies an' stuff," Johnny continues, ignoring him. "She gets some of that today, otherwise I'd tell ya to go wait in the kitchen 'cuz you're squeamish."

"I am not!" Max protests. "I'm just not a fan of bugs, okay?" It feels kinda rude saying that because a large bug had saved his life once, but Max can't really help the way he feels. They just have too many legs.

"Are too," Johnny shoots back. Max doesn't have a retort for that, so he just watches Moxie munch on the vegetables he drops in the tank. "Okay," Johnny says after a couple of minutes. "Let's go."

Max follows him out of the apartment, waits for him to lock the door, and then back outside. He blinks a bit in the bright sunlight, squinting. "Hey," he says, a thought coming to him. "Where's my mom's shirt?"

"In here." Johnny's hands move towards the zipper on his backpack. "You want it?"

"Not right now. I was just making sure you didn't lose it." He wrinkles his nose. "Plus I'm gonna have to wash it, 'cuz no offense, but dude, you kinda smell like a bonfire."

Johnny aims a playful kick at Max's shin. "Well, you smell like - like - a nerd!" He blusters, and Max snorts.

"Nice comeback," he laughs, dancing out of reach. "C'mon, let's go grab Zoey's bike."

Fifteen minutes later Max is starting to realize he hasn't really thought this through. They're in the little storage shed attached to the back of the store, staring down at the aforementioned bike.

"So, uh...how's this gettin' both of us out to the woods again?" Johnny asks after a sufficiently long silence.

"Well, I was thinking, uh..." Max is floundering. "It's got a basket?" He offers, waving a hand. Zoey's bike does indeed have a big wire basket attached to the front of it. She used to do a paper route back in Baxsborough, aiming for the Youngest Entrepreneur badge in her Bunny Scouts troop.

"Y'think you'd fit in that?" Johnny sounds doubtful.

"No, I was thinking I'd be the one pedaling the bike." Max is choosing to ignore the fact that he probably could actually fit.

"You've got a broken arm," Johnny points out, "plus I'm heavy. This plan sucks."

"Well, you could've said something before Zoey extorted me out of five bucks!" Max complains, and Johnny shrugs.

"Thinkin's not really my strong suit."

Max sighs, defeated. "Y'know, sometimes I think you sell yourself short." He puts his hands on his hips and glares at the bike. It's just sitting there, mocking him. "Guess you get the driver's seat. Lemme go grab my bat real quick."

He runs up to his room and drops to his hands and knees beside the bed, reaching under it for the bat. Max nearly screams when he sees a pair of big dark eyes looking back at him. "Jesus, PJ!" He sits back, clutching at his chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. What're you doing under there, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm just relaxing, Mr. Max. I like it under here because it reminds me of what I think a coffin would be like."

"Hm. Morbid. Could you hand me my bat, please?" He hands it over. "Thanks."

"Are you doing superhero stuff?" PJ emerges from under the bed, eyes huge.

"Uh...kinda?" Max grabs his own backpack from where it lies discarded on the floor and stuffs the bat into it.

"Oh, can I come with?" PJ's all excited now, and Max can practically see sparkles forming around him. "I can bring my tool! I've been practicing, you know!"

"Yeah, I know." Max thinks back to two days ago when PJ had flooded his room. Again. "Um, I think it would be better if it was just me and Johnny, sorry." PJ's face falls, and he feels guilty. "Hey, I'll introduce him to you when we get back, okay? He's got a really cool power, you're gonna love it."

"Okay," PJ says a bit dejectedly. "I guess I'll just hang with Lefty, then. Or maybe Pete. He's not a great conversationalist, though."

Max's eyes slide over to his closet where Hissin' Pete is curled up, looking offended.

"Mhm. You want me to leave the TV on for you guys?"

"Oh! Yes please!" PJ lights up. "Can you do the science fiction channel again?"

"You got it," Max says, and stands up, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. He goes out into what passes for the living room and sets up the TV, doing a quick check of the guide to make sure there weren't any inappropriate movies scheduled for the next couple hours. "See ya later!" He calls as he heads down the stairs, waving. PJ waves back absently, already engrossed in Attack of the Killer Roboliens Part 2.

Johnny's messing around in the shed when he gets back. "What took you so long?" He asks, elbow deep in a box full of packing peanuts.

"Hey, that's for the store!" Max swats his arm the same way you would a misbehaving cat. "Get outta there." Johnny sticks his tongue out but complies. "I was talking to, uh..." PJ's - what? His little brother? His son? His weird roommate? "The ghost that lives in my house," Max finishes, lamely.

"Oh." Johnny just accepts this. "We gonna go or what?"

"I guess." Max eyes the bike basket glumly. He's seriously starting to consider just walking the whole way there instead. He lets out a huge sigh. Man, the things he does for others sometimes.

Max wheels the bike outside. "You even gonna be able to ride that?" He asks, looking at Johnny. "It's kinda small."

"It'll work," Johnny says, dismissively. "Now getcher butt in there."

"This is humiliating," Max grumbles as he parks himself in the basket. He mostly fits, but it's not exactly the comfiest thing in the world. His bat’s digging into his spine. Max pulls the brim of his hat down as far as it'll go, desperate for any kind of way to hide his face. "This is totally ruining my image."

"Hey, it was your idea." Johnny hops on the seat behind him and the bike groans alarmingly. "Yeesh. This thing was def made for a six-year-old." He flips up the kickstand and leans forward. "How come you don't have a bike, anyway?"

"Um." Max shifts a bit, trying to find a more comfortable position. His butt's already starting to hurt. "Trashed it before we moved trying to jump a ditch."

"No way!" Max twists a bit to look over his shoulder. Johnny's grinning open-mouthed at him. "You do your own stunts?"

"Always." He lets himself brag a bit.

"Nice." Max feels the bike move forward as Johnny pushes off the pavement, pedaling slowly. "Gimme the directions to wherever we're going."

Max does his best to retrace Spender's route. The patch of woods they end up at about twenty minutes later looks kinda familiar, right? He thinks so.

"Stop here for a sec," he says, and Johnny does. Max struggles to get out of the basket. "Oh geez."

"Ya stuck?" Johnny sounds like he's about to start laughing, and Max glares at him.

"No, I am not-" He yelps as he suddenly pops free and stumbles forward, legs numb, and he makes a hasty grab for the bike's handlebars. "Quit laughing!"

"Sorry," Johnny snickers, but he sure doesn't sound sorry. Max gives him another sour look before turning to face the woods, slapping his legs 'til the pins and needles reside.

"I think this is it," he says, peering into the darkness beneath the trees. "There should be a trail around here somewhere."

"That it?" Johnny's pointing a bit to their left.

"Looks like it." Max tromps into the undergrowth and Johnny follows, wheeling the bike along. It's peaceful out in the woods. There's a choir of birds singing somewhere off in the distance, and Max can hear the occasional spirit pipe up to join it. The gentle breeze makes the branches and leaves sway, the dappled sunlight on the ground shifting in time. He catches a glimpse of something huge moving through the trees in the distance. His first thought is a bear, until he takes a closer look and remembers bears aren't bright orange with seven legs.

Max half expects to see the Ghost Train when they enter the clearing. He remembers the sheer, overwhelming size of it, the sense that he was just an insignificant speck of dust next to it. Then he remembers the way the train had hit on him. That kinda dulled the impact of the first impression.

"Man, last time I was here," Max says, voice seeming almost overly loud in the large open space, "a train started flirting with me."

"Wait, what?" Johnny breaks away from watching several small spirits playing in the grass to shoot him a confused look.

"Tell you the story later." Max pulls the bat out from his backpack with a flourish and holds it out dramatically. "It's time to get down to business."

"The business is...your bat?" Johnny's staring at it.

"Wha- no! The business is you. Show me your powers." Max shoulders the bat and stares at Johnny.

He looks a bit uncomfortable. "I dunno how?"

"You just gotta, like," Max makes a vague hand gesture. "Feel it?" God, that sounds corny. "It just kinda comes to you."

"I'll give it a shot, I guess." Johnny still sounds uncertain. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and Max has to step back as a sudden wave of heat slaps him in the face. He waits, but nothing else happens. Johnny cracks open one eye and looks at him. "I don't, uh. I don't think I can do it if you're watchin," he says, very quietly.

Max raises both eyebrows. "Wow. Stage fright. Wasn't expecting that." He turns around, putting a hand to his mouth, thinking. "Maybe it's like an instinct thing," he muses out loud. " 'cuz you said it happened when you thought the Doorman was attacking you."

That gives him an idea.

Max whirls around, bat raised. "Think fast!" He yells, swinging toward the space just above Johnny's head. Johnny jumps back, opens his mouth. Max throws himself flat to the ground, barely avoiding the roiling plume of fire that streaks by overhead, hot enough to singe the hair on the back of his neck. The spirits in the field around them squeal in alarm and dart off.

He stares at it as it dissipates, wide eyed. When Johnny said he could breath fire, Max had been expecting something...smaller? Definitely not this. "Wow," he says finally, sitting up slowly. "That was intense."

Johnny's standing stock still, frozen, eyes huge. He looks horrified. Max notices that he's breathing heavily, his hands shaking a bit. "Hey, Johnny, you okay?" He asks, concerned. A memory from last night pops up - Johnny telling him he's not good with fire- and he swallows, mouth suddenly dry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"I'm..." Johnny fades out. The shaking's spread to his whole body now.

Then he bolts.

"Woah! Johnny!" Max jumps to his feet and races after him. This was definitely a bad idea.

He loses sight of him in the undergrowth, but he's still pretty easy to track down. All Max has to do is follow the trail of smoldering footprints.

Max finds him curled up at the base of an old gnarled tree, face pressed to his knees, fingers digging into the skin of his arms. "Oh, dude," he says, panting a bit as he crouches down in front of him, "I'm sorry. I- I didn't think." Max sits down next to him, careful to keep his movements slow. He tentatively reaches out a hand and puts it on his back. Johnny doesn't pull away, so he takes it as a good sign. Max can feel just how badly he's trembling. "You wanna-" He hesitates. "You wanna talk about it?"

Johnny doesn't say anything. "You don't have to," Max adds quickly. "Just if you want." He traces a circle with his thumb on his back, and they sit there for a long time, listening to the birds.

"I coulda hurt you," Johnny says eventually, voice muffled. "Like, really hurt you. Like I hurt that other guy."

Max isn't really sure what to say. "But you didn't, though."

"But I could've!" Johnny whips up his head and glares at Max. He's crying a little bit, face all blotchy and red.

"And it would've been my fault," Max points out. "You were just acting in self-defense. Plus, y'know, you're new to this. Don't blame yourself for not being able to control it yet."

Johnny looks away, wiping at his eyes angrily. "My house burnt down when I was a kid," he says, gaze distant. "I was seven. My lil' sister-" He bites his lip, puts his head back down again. "She almost died. Had to go to the hospital an' everything. And my mom - my mom said it was my fault. 'Cuz I liked playin' with my dad's matches. 'Cuz I was playing with them that night." He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "When my sister got better she took her and ditched my dad an' me. Haven't seen either of 'em since."

He runs a hand through his hair, violently. "The firefighters said it was 'cuz of some wiring or somethin' but I - I keep thinking, what if they were just lying, and it really was my fault. That it's my fault that we lost the house an' my folks split up and - and - and it's my fault my sister almost died. That I almost killed her."

Max feels his guts twist out. "It's not your fault," is the only thing he can say.

Johnny turns his head a bit and peers up at him from underneath his arm. "You weren't there."

"You're right. I wasn't." Max breathes in until his lungs burn. "But. I was seven too when my mom died. So I know the feeling. It just - it just hurts, so bad." He pauses for a moment. "It wasn't your fault."

Johnny's quiet for several seconds. "Thanks," he says, so softly Max can barely hear it. "Sorry about your mom." That bit's a little louder.

Max gives him a wan smile. "Yeah."

"Sorry for freakin' out, too." He sits up a little bit, avoiding eye contact. He's digging up little clumps of grass from the ground.

"It's cool. I mean, you had a pretty valid reason." Johnny couldn't have been possessed by a worse spirit, Max thinks.

Johnny lets out a shaky laugh. "Yeah. Guess so." He bites his lip again. "Y'really think I can learn to control this?"

"I mean, there's a bit of a learning curve," Max admits, "but yeah. We'll figure it out."

"We?" He shoots him a glance.

"You, me, the Activity Club." Max takes his hand off Johnny's back and punches him lightly in the shoulder. "That's what friends do. Help each other out. Right?"

"Yeah. Right." Johnny gives him half a smile, his ears turning red again.

Max gets to his feet and brushes off his pants, then holds out his hand to Johnny, who takes it after a moment's hesitation. "You wanna go back and watch movies for the rest of the day?"

"Sounds good t'me," Johnny says, pulling himself up.

"Sweet." Max shoots him a genuine smile. "We uh, we gotta go and find my bat first, 'cuz I totally ditched it running after you."

That gets a laugh out of Johnny. "Good thing I'm here, then. Y'need someone to protect you while you're defenseless."

"Oh, you're my hero," Max teases. Johnny's ears go an even brighter red. Weird. Max just chalks it up to the whole coming-off-a-good-cry high. "C'mon, let's get going," he says, and they wade back into the woods.


	10. stop, drop, and roll

Johnny wakes up to find his phone's blown up with text messages.

He sits up, groggy and stiff, and it takes him a moment to remember where he is. He's in Max's house, on his couch. They'd been watching movies. The TV is still on, casting an eerie glow over the living room, static humming quietly. Johnny fumbles for his phone, unplugging it from the cord he'd brought from his place. Max is passed out on the couch next to him under a blanket, half lying on his legs.

The sudden brightness from his phone screen makes him wince. There's 271 missed messages from the group chat, mostly variations of 'what's going on?' and 'are you okay?'. Johnny scrolls to the end, feeling guilty for making his friends worry. He'd completely forgotten to update them. The whole forest incident and finding out ghosts are real and also he's possessed by one had put his text from yesterday morning completely out of mind.

He's about to reply when another message pops up.

** >ollie (11:52):** hey johnny come on man we're all super worried!!!

Johnny hesitates, unsure what to say. He did promise Max he wouldn't tell his friends about any of this until Monday, after all, and it's still Saturday night. He bites his lip, conflicted, and flinches at the sharp reminder of his new freaky teeth.

He can tell them half the truth, Johnny decides. He'll just leave out everything about spirits and powers and stuff 'til Monday.

**> kingpin (11:57):** hey guys im fine sorry to scare u

There's a flurry of responses, and his phone pings continuously. Johnny hastily turns the sound down, glancing at Max. He's still asleep.

**> mulder (11:58):** DUDE UR ALIVE  
**> mulder (11:58):** I WENT TO UR PLACE AND U WERENT THERE!!  
**>...bees? (11:59):** johnny you a** you scared us  
**> ollie (11:59):** where the he** have you been?!

Johnny shifts a bit, trying to pull his leg out from under Max without waking him up. Max just mumbles something and latches on tighter.

**> kingpin (12:01):** u guys arent gonna believe what ive just been through  
**> kingpin (12:01):** but i cant tell you til monday at school  
**> mulder (12:02):** WHAT WHY  
**> ollie (12:02):** johnny we're your friends  
**>...bees? (12:03):** ^^^  
**> kingpin (12:04):** ik and im really sorry!! but i promised max  
**> mulder (12:04):** wait max?????  
**> ollie (12:05):** what's he got to do with this?

As if on cue, Max rolls even further on top of him. Johnny feels his face heat up, torn between not wanting to wake him and needing to get the heck out of this situation, right now. He settles for just ignoring it as best he can.

**> kingpin (12:07):** im at his house  
**> kingpin (12:07):** im staying over for the weekend  
**>...bees? (12:08):** oooooooooooohhhhh  
**> ollie (12:08):** is max part of the emergency  
**> kingpin (12:09):** uh  
**> kingpin (12:09):** yeah kinda  
**>...bees? (12:10):** OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH  
**> mulder (12:11):** he give u any dirt?  
**> kingpin (12:11):** lots of it but i cant say anything yet  
**> kingpin (12:11):** weve been watching movies for like the past 7 hours anyway  
**> kingpin (12:12):** also he met moxie  
**> kingpin (12:12):** rj if you say that again i will hurt you

RJ just sends a winky emoji instead. Johnny scowls at his phone.

**> ollie (12:13):** i think i see what's going on  
**> ollie (12:13):** johnny are you having a code 7

Max rolls over and throws an arm across his waist, and Johnny yelps, scrambling off the couch, nearly kicking him in the head in the process. He gets twisted up in the blankets and yanks them off the couch with him. Max sits up slightly, blinking blearily. "Wha's goin' on?" He looks down at Johnny sprawled on the floor.

"Uh...nothin'." Jonny's grateful for the darkness of the room so Max can't see just how red his face is.

"Y'sure?"

"Yep!" Johnny says brightly, throwing the blankets back on top of Max. "Go back to sleep!"

Max just shrugs and snuggles back underneath the blankets. Johnny watches him for a moment before booking it to the bathroom. He closes the door behind him and flips on the lights, squinting at his reflection in the mirror. God. His face is practically the same color as his hair.

He picks his phone back up and begins to type furiously.

**> kingpin (12:20):** what the HE** are u talking about  
**> ollie (12:21):** what level are u on  
**> ollie (12:21):** if it's anything higher than 3 we're gonna have to break out the emergency kit  
**> kingpin (12:22):** im on level -20!!!!!!!!!  
**>...bees? (12:23):** guys hes got a code 7  
**> kingpin (12:23):** NO!! STOP SAYING THAT!!!  
**> mulder (12:24):** wow we havent had one of those since like 3rd grade  
**> kingpin (12:25):** SHUT UP

Johnny practically slams his phone down on the sink. There's no way he's got a Code Seven. Seven means a crush, and he absolutely does not - he doesn't - he thinks about how cute Max had looked asleep with his face all smushed up, and how tentative he'd been about waving back to Moxie, and how nice his hand on his back had felt when Johnny'd been having his breakdown, and how much he likes it when Max laughs for real, and-

His knees go a little weak and he sits down on the tile floor with a heavy thump. His phone's buzzing again.

**> ollie (12:31):** johnny?? u still there??

He reaches for it again. His heart's going so fast it almost hurts and his hands are shaky. It's kinda hard to type.

**> kingpin (12:35):** oh my god  
**> kingpin (12:35):** i think u might be right  
**> kingpin (12:35):** OH MY GOD  
**> kingpin (12:36):** IM FREAKING OUT F**K!!!!!  
**> ollie (12:36):** ok take a deep breath and try to calm down  
**> ollie (12:37):** u know what level ur at??

Johnny takes in a huge gulp of air and holds it, considering. Code Seven's got five levels. One means you just think someone's kinda cute but you don't actually want to do anything about it, and five means you're going to die for real if they don't like you back.

**> kingpin (12:39):** uhhhh  
**> kingpin (12:39):** 2 i think?? maybe 3??  
**> kingpin (12:40):** WHERE THE HE** DID THIS COME FROM HOW AM I SO HIGH ALREADY  
**>...bees? (12:41):** it just be like that sometime  
**> mulder (12:42):** u want us 2 set u guys up  
**> kingpin (12:42):** NO ABSOLUTELY NOT  
**> mulder (12:43):** aw cmon dude  
**> mulder (12:43):** hey the fall dance is next month u should ask him to that  
**> kingpin (12:44):** NO  
**> kingpin (12:44):** I AM NOT DOING THAT

Johnny's stupid, traitorous brain has already imagined Max dressed up nice for a school dance and he wants to bang his head against the wall.

**> kingpin (12:46):** CAN WE JUST DROP THIS PLEASE  
**> ollie (12:46):** fine  
**> ollie (12:46):** for now  
**>...bees? (12:46):** >:3c  
**> kingpin (12:47):** rj u get that furry sh** outta here  
**>...bees (12:47):** >>:3cccc

Johnny tips his head back against the wall and sighs.

**> kingpin (12:48):** ok i gotta go to sleep. i'll tell u guys everything m onday ok  
**> kingpin (12:48):** ALSO  
**> kingpin (12:49):** u gotta promise to not say a peep to max im serious

He would rather go live in the woods for the rest of his life like Bigfoot or something than ever face Max again if he found out about this.

**> ollie (12:50):** dont worry we wont tell him anything  
**> mulder (12:50):** my lips r zipped  
**>...bees? (12:51):** mine too  
**>...bees? (12:51):** even more than usual  
**> kingpin (12:52):** thanks guys, gnight

He puts his phone down and buries his face in his hands with a loud, drawn-out groan. This sucks. The last time Johnny had had a crush had been in kindergarten, and that had ended with him pushing the object of his affection into the sandbox because he didn't know how else to deal with his feelings.

Johnny briefly entertains the thought of Max liking him back, then snorts. Yeah, right. Like that'd happen.

He feels his eyelids start to droop and he yawns. Man, he really does gotta get back to sleep. Johnny stands up and heads back to the living room, flipping the bathroom light off as he goes. The darkness of the hallways looms large, disorienting him, and he nearly trips over something that starts hissing like a rattlesnake. Johnny speeds up, unwilling to stick around and find out what it is.

He fumbles his way into the living room, the soft blue light of the TV acting like a beacon. Max is still asleep on the couch, looking stupidly, _stupidly_ cute with his baby face. Johnny looks away sharply and turns off the TV before flopping down on the floor. There's no way he's getting back on the couch with Max, and it would feel weird going to his room without him. So he's stuck with the floor, and that's fine. He closes his eyes-

\- he's with Max, and they're in the woods, or at school, or in his room, sitting on the bed. Johnny says something stupid and Max laughs, and likes it, likes the way the sound makes his chest feel all warm. Max is leaning forward a bit, or maybe Johnny's bending down, and then one of them is kissing the other, and it's something sweet and innocent-

Johnny wakes back up with a start and a gasp. There's daylight filtering in through the window, and Max is standing above him, nudging him with his foot. "Hey, sleepyhead. You want breakfast?"

Johnny sits up with a strangled shriek and scrambles away from Max as fast as he can. He bumps his head against the coffee table and clutches at it with a groan.

"Wow, okay." Max's eyebrows are practically touching his hairline. "My dad's cooking isn't that bad. You all right?"

"Yeah," Johnny mumbles, rubbing the back of his head and looking anywhere but Max. His face is burning. 'You just, um, you scared me a bit."

"Oh. Sorry. Bad dream again?" Max's expression softens, and Johnny's heart thuds painfully.

"Y'could say that," he agrees. What kind of dream was that? What's wrong with him? Johnny just barely resists the urge to start repeatedly smacking himself in the face, 'cuz that'd for sure freak Max out. "Uh. You said breakfast?"

"Yeah. You like omelettes?"

"I like all kinds’a food," Johnny says, following Max into the kitchen. He's careful to keep at least three feet of space between them at all times.

"Dad and Zoey ran down to the store to grab something real quick," Max says, explaining the vacant table. It's piled up with various breakfast stuff, and Johnny feels his stomach grumble. "He said we can start if we want, though."

"Oh. Okay." Johnny scoots his chair far enough away from Max that won't accidentally bump elbows or anything. Max gives him a questioning look.

"You sure you're feeling okay? You're acting kinda weird. Well," he amends, "weirder than usual."

"Huh?" Johnny says, distractedly. He can't stop thinking about the dream, and the - the kiss - and - oh God, now he can't stop staring at Max's face.

"Dude!" Max shouts suddenly, pushing his chair back violently and jumping to his feet. "You're on fire!"

"I'm wha'?" Johnny blinks, suddenly aware of just how hot he is. He can see tiny flames dancing out of the corner of his eye, and he freaks. "Woah! Jesus!"

"Put it out!" Max hisses, casting a desperate glance at the doorway. "You're gonna set off the fire alarm!"

"I don't know how!" Johnny's trying not to panic, which is pretty hard to do considering he's _literally on fire._ Max looks around the room frantically before grabbing the pitcher of orange juice on the table and dumping it over him. "Thanks," he says sourly, spitting out a piece of pulp.

"Sorry." At least Max sounds genuinely apologetic. "I couldn't think of anything else."

"Morning, kids!" Max's dad says cheerfully as he pops into the kitchen, his little sister trailing close behind. He stops as he takes in the now sopping wet Johnny. "Woah, what happened here?"

Max and Johnny trade glances. "Extremely brief and localized rainstorm?" Max offers.

"Oh, okay." Max's dad says, and Johnny shoots Max a glance.

'He actually bought that'? He mouths, and Max shrugs.

Johnny pushes a strand of wet hair away from his eyes. "Uh, would y'guys mind if I used your shower? Since I'm kinda...orange-juicey."

"Yeah, go ahead," Max says. "I'll save you a plate." He smiles at him, and Johnny has to flee the kitchen before he combusts again.

He spends a lot longer in the shower than he'd been planning on, mostly because he couldn't figure out how to work the dang thing - why the heck were all the knobs on backwards? - and by the time he gets back to the kitchen Max has changed out of his pajamas and the rest of his family is gone. "I was starting to think you'd drowned in there," Max quips. "Which would be pretty ironic for a fire spectral."

Johnny just laughs nervously and sits down, attacking his now-cold breakfast just so he'll have something else to focus on than the fact that his heart's going 5000 miles per second. He still notices Max looking at him kinda weird.

"You want to use the microwave - okay. And it's all gone. Geez, how do you eat so fast?" Max sounds dumbfounded.

" 'm always hungry," he says back. "Plus it's nice to have someone else cook for ya, y'know? I make all my own stuff at home."

"Oh." Max says a little awkwardly. "Your dad doesn't-"

"I've been takin' care of myself since I was like eight." Johnny feels the familiar resentment flare up in his chest, and he pushes he feeling down. "It's fine."

"I don't, uh, think it's fine?" There's a concerned look in Max's eyes, and Johnny hates it. He doesn't need to be pitied.

"I said it's fine!" He snaps, louder than intended. Max flinches a bit, and he feels his heart twist like someone's just stuck a knife in it. "Sorry - sorry, I didn't mean t’yell."

"It's cool," Max says easily. He stands up and takes Johnny's now-empty plate over to the sink, rinsing it before sticking it in the dishwasher. "So," he continues, keeping his voice purposefully light, "what do you wanna do today? You wanna work on-" He shoots a quick glance at the doorway as his sister walks past. "-you know, or do something else?"

"Something else," Johnny says firmly. He knows that he probably should we working on trying to get his new powers under control, but frankly, he's had enough of fire in the last couple days to last him the rest of his life.

"That's cool. Uh." He's thinking, tongue sticking out a bit, and Johnny has to look away quickly ‘cuz it's stupidly, stupidly, _stupidly_ cute. "I'm trying to think of stuff that doesn't cost a lot of money because I gave Zoey like half my cash."

"I've got money," Johnny points out, and Max gives him a level look.

"Is it stuff you bullied out of people?"

"Uh-"

"That's what I thought. We're not using that."

Johnny bites his lip, shame-faced. There's an awkward pause. "Uh, we could...go to the outdoor mall?" He offers up. "We can just look at stuff. Don't hafta buy anything."

Max considers this. "Oh, that sounds good. I've never actually been there before."

"Woah, seriously?" Johnny bursts out, and Max shrugs. "You've been in Mayview for like a month already!"

"I've been busy!" Max protests. "Isabel said she'd take me, but then something came up with her Grandpa, and then Isaac said he'd take me, but then it turns out some anime convention or something was the same weekend, and it's just not fun going places yourself."

"Well, you're goin' with me." He crosses his arms. "And I'm gonna make sure ya have fun."

"Wow," Max says dryly. "Only you could make the concept of having fun sound so threatening."

Johnny doesn't have a reply for that 'cuz he's too busy trying to keep his face from overheating.

Max pokes his head out the kitchen door. "Hey, Dad?" He yells.

"Yes, son?" Comes floating from the store below, and Johnny hears Max go tromping down the stairs to go talk to him.

Johnny takes this opportunity to duck into Max's room and grab his clothes for today. He makes it about halfway there before he realizes that oh God, they're going to the mall. That's where - that's where all the couples go on their dates.

He books it the rest of the way and starts tearing through his backpack. Why didn't he bring any cool clothes, why didn't he - Johnny slaps himself in the face. "Get it together!" He says, out loud. "This isn't a date!"

"Oh, hey, there you are." Max's voice sounds from behind him and he practically jumps out of his skin. Johnny whips around, eyes wide. He didn't hear that, did he? "My dad says he can drop us off at the mall since the store doesn't open for a bit." Either he didn't, or he's just ignoring it. Johnny really, really hopes it's the former.

"Sweet," he says, aiming for casual and missing it completely 'cuz his voice cracks halfway through the word. He clears his throat. "Uh. Can we stop by my place first so I can get Moxie her breakfast?"

"Yeah, no prob. I'll let you get changed," Max says, closing the door.

Johnny goes back to considering his clothing options. The best thing he's got is a black ringer tee that says #1 WINNER on the back in big white block letters. RJ'd gotten it for him for his birthday last year. It's a lil' tight in the arms, Johnny thinks as he shrugs into it.

Max is sitting on the couch when he emerges back into the living room, fully changed. He's talking to the little kid - ghost, Johnny corrects himself - that Max had introduced him to last night. He looks around for the disembodied hand that's always following him around, but he doesn't see it. Which is fine with Johnny. They'd gotten off on the wrong...foot...anyway.

"PJ, can you please tell Pete he needs to stop sneaking into the freezers and taking bites out of the styrofoam?" Max is saying, exasperated. "He won't listen to me."

"I'll try, Mr. Max," the kid sounds doubtful, "but he's got a pretty big sweet tooth." He catches sight of Johnny and zips behind Max to hide, peering over his shoulder with huge eyes.

"Uh, hi," Johnny says awkwardly, and the kid ducks down.

"PJ, whatcha doin'?" Max twists around, trying to get a good look at the ghost.

"Lefty says I shouldn't talk to your friend, Mr. Max," he says in a timid voice.

"What? Why?"

PJ just shakes his head and zips off through the wall. Max just stares at Johnny, looking as confused as he feels. "Uh, sorry about that," he says. "He's just kinda shy."

"Um, it's fine." Internally he's thinking he's gonna punch that hand into tomorrow when it shows up again. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, my dad's in the car. Zoey's coming with 'cuz they're gonna go get ice cream afterwards and she claimed dibs on shotgun," Max says, sounding a little miffed. "So we're stuck in the back."

"Isn't she a lil' young to get shotgun?"

"That's what I said!" Max throws his hands in the air.

There's a loud beep from downstairs, followed by a quick succession of others.

"Oh God, we gotta get down there before he starts doing Jingle Bells again," Max groans, pushing Johnny towards the stairs.

"There you guys are!" Max's dad says as they pile into the backseat. "We were about to leave without you, right Zoey?"

"No, you said you wanted to see how many times you could honk the horn before someone called the police," Max's little sister says from the front seat, finger in her ears.

"My record's 71," he says conspiratorially to Johnny. Johnny just blinks.

"Can we please go," Max grits, sounding pained.

"Your wish is my command, oh sweet child of mine." Max's dad shifts the car into drive and they amble down the street. They stop by his place first so he can go feed Moxie. Max offers to come up, but Johnny says it's fine, he'll be right back out, and he is. His dad's still not there.

The car starts again. Johnny's looking out the window. He's starting to get used to all the spirits, but they still fascinate and sometimes awe him. There's one shaped kinda like a horse running alongside the car, racing them, and Johnny shoots Max a delighted grin. Max gives him one back and his heart skips a beat, so he just turns back to the window and concentrates on the horse spirit, ears burning.

"You're gonna love the mall," Max's dad says after a couple minutes of silence. "I used to go there all the time when I was a kid." He pauses, pursing his lips. "I bet it's changed a lot. They gotta keep things hip and funky fresh for the youth."

"Dad," Max groans.

"Hey, I think I should get points for at least trying to keep up with the lingo," he says, good-naturedly.

Zoey pokes her head around the seat. "Yesterday he asked me what a 'yeet' was."

"And I still don't know!" He pulls into the mall parking lot. It's busy today, kids darting across the plaza, shoppers strolling along, laden down with bags. Johnny sees some kinda tent set up further back, and he wonders what's going on. "Ah-ha!" They snag an open space and the car pulls to a stop.

Max's dad pulls his wallet out of his pocket and hands him twenty bucks. "Don't spend this all in one place, 'kay?" He glances at the clock. It's a little after 10:30. "I can probably pick you guys up at fivish, sound good?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Dad." Max smiles at his father with genuine affection and for a moment Johnny feels a hot rush of envy. He stomps the feeling back down and gets out of the car.

"Have fun!" Max's dad yells out the open window as he pulls away. "Okay, Zoey, you ready to go tackle Sundae Service’s Monster Banana Split Challenge?" His voice fades away into the distance.

Max and Johnny are left standing in the parking lot. "Hey," Max says, nudging him in the ribs. "You're the one who's been here before. Take it away."

Johnny's mind completely blanks. What should they do? What does Max even like? "Well," he says, walking under the welcome banner and stopping by the fountain in the center of the plaza, "there's uh, there's an arcade, and there's that ice cream place, and there's that drive-in theater than me an' the boys always sneak into, and..." His eyes fall on the big tent in the background. "There's whatever's going on over there."

"Wanna go check that out?" Max jerks a thumb towards it.

Johnny's about to respond when a kid suddenly jumps into the fountain, soaking him for the second time that day. "Oh, for - are you kiddin' me?" He complains loudly, and Max covers his mouth, trying to unsuccessfully stifle his laugh. The sound of it makes Johnny start steaming. Literally. The water's evaporating right off him, thin, smoky white trails drifting past his face.

"Wow." Max just stares. "That's handy." He shoots a look at the kid in the fountain, who's stopped splashing and is now pointing at them, wide-eyed. "Okay, time to go." Max hustles them on over to the tent.

There's a bunch of people milling around it, and Johnny can hear an amplified voice coming from inside. He can't quite make out the words.

He and Max duck under the tent flap and Johnny stops in his tracks. "Geez," he says, doing a slow 360. "This place looks like something Stephen'd come up with." The inside of the tent is plastered in posters talking about various supernatural creatures, and there's tables and booths set up all with similar items. Max is standing right under a poster that screams ARE GHOSTS REAL? in bright yellow letters.

"Well, I was definitely not expecting this." Max puts his hands on his hips. "What's even going on here?"

"Lemme ask Stephen." Johnny whips out his phone.

**> johnny (10:42):** hey steve-o there's some kinda event going on at the mall  
**> johnny (10:42):** buncha weirdos talkin bout bigfoot n aliens  
**> johhny (10:43):** u'd like it

His eyes wander around while he waits for a response. There's a small stage set up at one end of the tent, and a man with a microphone is pacing around on it, giving some kind of lecture. He and Max mosey towards it.

There's a ping from his phone.

**> stephen (10:46):** nooooooo cryptocon  
**> stephen (10:46):** i wanted to go to that :(((((  
**> stephen (10:47):** will u get me something

Johnny casually filches an alien bobble-head from a table as they pass by.

"Johnny." Max gives him a stern look and he scowls, reluctantly putting it back.

**> stephen (10:48):** hey wait why are u there  
**> johnny (10:49):** im at the wall w/max  
**> stephen (10:49):** holy s**t are u guys on a date

He nearly drops his phone.

**> johnny (10:50):** NO!!!!  
**> stephen (10:50):** ;)

Johnny's so preoccupied trying to find the angriest emoji he can that he doesn't notice Max stopping in front of him. He bumps right into him, making him stumble forward. "Dude." Max narrows his eyes at him.

"Sorry," Johnny says, but he's distracted by the man on the stage. He's holding some sort of thingamabob, waving it around passionately.

"Ghosts..." the man says, and pauses dramatically. There's a big inhalation of anticipation from the crowd. "...exist!" He finishes, and the crowd breaks out in cheers. Johnny exchanges a look with Max. "Ghosts not only exist," the man continues, "they have the capability to possess people!"

The crowd gasps.

"And once possessed, their victims are just helpless pawns! After all, don't we know that ghosts have natural criminal tendencies?"

There's a chorus of agreement from the crowd.

"This guy's a fruitcake," Johnny mutters into Max's ear, and he snorts.

"I have here in my hand a machine that will allow me to identify a spirit-possessed person!" The man holds it up. It kinda looks like a TV remote with a long antennae on one end, with a light bulb attached to it. "I intend to turn this device over to the police, so they can use it to stop the supernatural crime spree taking place here in Mayview! I-" The man breaks off, staring at the machine. The bulb's lit up, and it's making a little beeping noise.

The sudden hush that follows is deafening. "Uh-oh," Max says, looking worried. He starts backing away through the press of people. Johnny follows suit.

Up on the stage the man is swinging the machine around frantically. "There's a spirit-possessed among us!" He shouts. The device sweeps in their direction, and it starts beeping louder. "Over there!" He points directly at them.

"Run for it!" Max yells, and the two of them book it out of the tent at light speed. "Excuse us!" He says loudly as they crash through the startled shoppers outside. They don't stop running 'til they're clear on the other side of the mall.

"I think we lost 'em," Johnny says, peering over the short wall they're hiding behind. Max is sitting on the ground, wheezing. "What the heck was that all about?"

"I - dunno!" Max chokes out. He clutches his side with a groan. "Oh, God, I gotta exercise more."

"Y'think that stuff they were talkin' about was true?" He slides down next to Max.

"Ugh. I hope not. Spender's always saying we have to keep all this stuff secret."

"Why?"

Max shrugs. "I dunno, I guess 'cuz people'd freak out or something? Also Isabel says we'd probably be dissected by the government and I prefer to keep all my organs inside me."

Johnny gulps at that. "Me too."

Max sighs loudly. "Guess I should probably tell Spender about this tomorrow. That machine could be pretty dangerous if what happened back there wasn't a fluke." He stands up and dusts off his pants. "I'm not worrying about it right now. What's next?"

"Uh." Johnny's eyes fall on the arcade further down the street. "How 'bout that?"

"Oh, sweet." Max's face lights up as they walk over to it. "I haven't been to an arcade in ages."

"Dude, y'gotta get out more." Johnny opens the door with a flourish. "After you." Max rolls his eyes, but he's smiling, and it makes his stomach feel kinda wobbly.

The door clicks shut behind them and they're enveloped in the neon lights of the arcade. There's coins clicking in the distance, and people whooping and groaning in turn. The air smells like burnt popcorn, and the floor beneath their feet is sticky with spilled soda. This place is practically his home away from home in the summer. He and his friends rule the arcade.

Max is looking at the prices on the board above the counter. "Forty dollars for a Cup o' Tokens?" He sounds scandalized. "That's practically extortion!"

"We don't need that many." Johnny points over his shoulder. "Just get the Thimbleful. That's t'cheapest."

"You sure?" Max glances at him, eyebrow raised.

"Course I'm sure!" Johnny draws himself up, affronted. "Me an' the boys are in here all the time. I know what games give the good loot."

"Alright, I'm gonna trust you on that one." Max turns to the bored looking cashier. "Can we, uh, get the Thimbleful o' Tokens, please?" He hands over some cash and gets a tiny cup in return. "I feel like I need a magnifying glass to even look at this," he says wryly, passing it to Johnny.

"Yeah, it's kinda a ripoff," Johnny agrees. He does a slow spin, taking in the arcade. "What games you like?"

"Which ones have the 'good loot'?" Max does finger quotes.

"Uh, that one," he points it out, "and that one, also that one, and - oh!" His eyes fall on a particular game. "Y'like skee-ball?"

"Do I like it?" Max mimics his earlier statement. "You're looking at the skee-ball champion of Baxborough, man."

"Well, ya ain't in Baxborough anymore," Johnny says, flashing him a sharp grin.

"Bring it on," Max dares.

Four tokens and five minutes later, Johnny's got Max beat by almost two thousand points. "Ha! In your face!" He yells, watching the tickets spool out of the machine.

"Okay, well, in my defense," Max starts, "I have a broken arm."

"Are y'left-handed?"

"Nnnoooooo," he says, looking shifty.

Johnny slaps him on the back. "Aw, it's okay. Not everybody can be as talented as me."

Max snorts and rolls his eyes. "You're ridiculous," he complains, but he's got that same smile on his face, and Johnny's heart does a somersault. He ducks his head and rips their tickets from the machine, holding them up triumphantly.

"Pretty good score from just one game, huh?" He asks, a bit smug. This is definitely enough to get them both at least one thing from the prize counter. 

"Oh yeah." Max is all pumped up now. "What should we hit up next?"

"How 'bout-" Johnny's eyes fall on a photo booth and he grins, lighting up. Max follows his gaze and starts shaking his head.

"Oh, no, I'm not really a picture person-"

Johnny yanks him into the booth anyway. It's a lot quieter in there than it should be, the noise of the arcade fading away. Johnny's suddenly acutely aware of just how close Max is to him, and he swallows loudly.

"This is so dumb," Max complains, but he doesn't make any effort to leave. The camera light snaps on, and he winces. "Ow."

Johnny feeds some tokens into the slot. "Ya gotta actually smile for this," he tells Max.

Max just sticks his tongue out at him. "I've got an image to maintain, and-" He cuts off as the both starts snapping pictures. "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"Too bad," Johnny says, picking up the freshly printed photo strips and handing one to Max, who studies it.

"My eyes are closed in all of these." He waves the strip in front of his face like a fan. "Geez, I'm gonna get a sunburn just standing next to you. Can you turn the heat down?"

Johnny blinks, suddenly noticing just how hot the interior of the booth is. The heat's coming from him, he realizes. Probably 'cuz he's all flustered over Max. "It's not like I've gotta thermostat dial!" He protests, shoving Max lightly out of the booth.

"But that'd be so convenient," Max teases, blinking in the flashing neon lights of the arcade. "People could just turn you up in the winter and use you as a heater."

"Well, I - I'm - you - you're not using me for anythin'!" Johnny finally splutters out.

"I'm just messing with you." Max turns away and spots something. "Hey, a claw machine! I'm good at those." He grabs Johnny's hand and drags him over, and it takes all of his strength to not catch on fire. "Hand me a token, will ya? Thanks." He drops it into the slot and the machine whirs to life.

He looks over Max's shoulder into the glass box, assessing the loot. "Ya wanna go for those Easter eggs," he says, pointing one out. "They're full of tickets. But they're really hard to pick up."

"I can do it," Max says, guiding the claw over to an egg. He's sticking his tongue out again, and Johnny does his best to ignore it. "C'mon..." He inches closer. "Yes! Got it!" The claw pulls up and the egg teeters, than falls out of its grasp. "No!" He sounds genuinely distraught.

Max shoots Johnny a look. "We got any tokens left?"

"Uh..." He takes a peek at the cup. "One."

"I'm gonna do it again," Max says, determined. Johnny passes him the token without comment. He holds his breath as Max moves the claw towards another egg with agonizing slowness. It closes around it, and Max nudges the claw back towards the prize chute, dropping the egg in it. "Yeah!" He shouts, punching the air. "Score!" He turns around and fist bumps Johnny with a huge grin.

"That was awesome," Johnny exults as he sticks his hand in the door flap, grabbing the egg. He cracks it open. "Woah, this one's stuffed."

"How many tickets we got?" Max asks, peering inside the egg.

"Let's go find out." Johnny wanders over to a ticket counter and feeds the ticket strips into the machine. It slurps them up noisily, the numbers on the screen counting higher and higher 'til it finally stops. Johnny whistles, impressed. "Five hundred even."

"Nice." Max sounds kinda breathless.

Johnny snags the stub that prints and they wander over to the prize counter. It's piled high with candy and various little plastic trinkets. The really good stuff's hanging from the ceiling, and he eyes the dart gun set he and the Jang had been trying to save up for for about a year now. "It's two fifty for each of us," he says, and Max hums in agreement, drifting along the counter. Johnny starts perusing the goods himself.

There's a little Mothman plushie that's wearing a shirt that says MOTH IS LOVE. He flips it over. The back says MOTH IS LIFE. Johnny grins crookedly. He's def gonna get that for Stephen, since he couldn't snag him anything from the weirdo con. What else does he want? Maybe he'll get some candy for him and the boys, or - oh. His eyes fall on something shiny. That's perfect.

Max comes wandering back up with a bag full of candy. "Wow," Johnny says, taking a peek into in. "Y'gotch'yerself a heckuva sweet tooth, huh?"

"It's not all for me," Max protests, cheeks going a bit pink. "Some of it's for Zoey."

Johnny snorts out a laugh and hands the ticket stub over to the cashier. He slaps his hand over the thing he'd been eyeing earlier before Max can see. "Here, give me your hand," he demands, holding out his fist.

Max looks nervous. "Are you gonna put a bug in it or something?"

"Just do it." Johnny scowls. Max hesitantly extends his hand, jerking it away at the last second. Johnny rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated puff of air. He grabs Max's hand, careful to be gentle with his cast, and lets the thing he'd been holding fall into his palm.

"Oh. Neat." Max holds it up, looking at it. It's a keychain with a little metal baseball bat dangling from it. He shoots a look at Johnny. "Did you just get this for me?"

"Uh..." Johnny trips over his words, suddenly feeling super shy. His face is burning. "Yeah, 'cuz, y'know, your bat? And that's a bat? And it's - it just - it fits!" He sorta yells the last bit, and Max blinks.

"Thanks." He gives him a warm, genuine smile. Johnny promptly forgets how to breathe.

"Um, yeah." He ducks his head, scooping his hard-earned loot into a bag. "Let's go do something else!" He blurts, and practically flees the arcade.

His phone's buzzing again, and he fishes it out of his pocket.

**>...bees? (12:31):** hows the date ;)

Johnny grinds his teeth together. He can practically feel the steam coming out of his ears.

**> kingpin (12:31):** STEPHEN  
**> kingpin (12:31):** YOU SNITCHED  
**> mulder (12:32):** im sorry it just kinda fell out  
**> kingpin (12:32):** i even got u something from the arcade  
**> kingpin (12:33):** i should just go n return it  
**> mulder (12:34):** nooooooo im sorry :((

He sighs and sends a picture of the Mothman plushie to the chat.

**> mulder (12:35):** oh my f***ing god i love it  
**>...bees? (12:36):** johnny u didnt answer the question  
**> kingpin (12:36):** THIS IS NOT A DATE

"What's up?" Max appears at his shoulder, and Johnny practically screams. "Wow, okay. Jumpy, much?"

" 'm not!" He glares at him. "I'm just talkin' to m'boys."

"Oh. Well, tell 'em I say hi?" Max is distracted fishing around in his bag of candy. "You want any?" He offers, holding it out, and Johnny shakes his head. His nerves are so shaky right now he feels like he might throw up if he eats anything.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

**> kingpin (12:40):** max says hi  
**>...bees? (12:40):** ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh  
**> kingpin (12:41):** SHUT UP  
**> ollie (12:42):** woah what did i miss

Johnny shoves his phone back into his pocket with a scowl. It keeps going off. Probably his friends gossiping about his 'date'.

"So," Max says through a mouthful of candy, "what now?"

"Um." He scratches the back of his neck, trying to get the furnace inside him back under control. "I dunno. Wanna wander around a bit?"

"Why not." Max shrugs one shoulder. "I just hope we don't run into that ghost guy again."

"Y'think he got a good look at us?" Johnny asks as he starts off down the street.

"I don't know? Hopefully he didn't. I don't need any more people after me." He's looking around him wide-eyed, and Johnny makes himself stop and take in the mall as though he's never seen it before. The ebb and flow of the crowd, the spirits lurking in the corners of his vision, the tables and racks set up, overflowing with merchandise, the fountain bubbling serenely in the distance. "This place is pretty cool," Max says after a moment of silence. "I can see why you like it."

"Yeah, it's not bad." He sidesteps around a large spirit taking a nap in the middle of the sidewalk. They go past that fortune-teller's place Stephen'd told him about. There's a sign out front that says FREE LOVE READINGS (WITH PURCHASE), and Johnny hustles faster.

He glances back at Max and finds that he's disappeared. "Wha-" Johnny cuts off with a startled yelp as someone yanks him backwards into a rack of clothes. 

"Shh!" Max hisses in his ear, slapping his hand over Johnny's mouth. "I think I just saw that guy!" He parts the clothes in front of him with his other hand and peers out intently. "Look, over there," he says, elbowing him in the ribs and pointing.

Johnny tries to mumble something and Max drops his hand. "Oh, sorry. What?"

"I said," he leans as far away from Max as he can without being obvious, "y'think he's after us?"

"He's got that weird remote thing out again."

Johnny shoves aside a pair of pants and scoots forward a bit, eyeing the man from the stage. He's staring intently at the machine in his hand, spinning slowly in a circle. The antennae passes over their hiding spot and he hears Max take in a sharp breath, but the device doesn't light up. The man scowls and disappears around the corner. "Must've been outta range," Johnny offers as Max lets out a sigh of relief. "Wonder what he wants with us?"

"Man, I don't even want to know," Max says loudly as he stands up, startling the shopkeeper. "Oh, um, sorry ma'am. We were just, uh...investigating?"

"Investigating what?" She eyes them suspiciously. Max looks down at where Johnny's still crouched in the clothes rack. Johnny just shrugs.

"Uh...ghost stuff?" Max offers weakly. The shopkeeper just shakes her head and walks away, muttering something under her breath.

"Nice goin'," Johnny teases as he pops up beside him. Max just fixes him with a baleful glare.

"I panicked, okay? It's not like you were any help."

"Hey, I'm new to this, 'member?" Johnny says back, unruffled. Max looks like he's about to say something back, but then his attention's caught by something on the clothes rack. Johnny follows his gaze, 'cuz whatever he's staring at has him pretty enraptured. It turns out to be a pale yellow sundress, dotted with little red flowers. Kinda cute, actually. "Oh, y'like that?"

"Uh...yeah." Max looks away, face flushing. "Kind of."

"You should get it!" Johnny makes to take it off the rack and Max whips back around, alarmed.

"Woah, put that back! I can't."

"Why not?" Johnny frowns at him, hand still outstretched. "It wouldn't kill ya to wear more than black an' gray stuff all the time."

"That's not it-"

"Oh," he says, and he drops his hand. "Hey, if you're worried about people makin' fun of ya, don't be, 'cuz I'll beat 'em up first." Johnny says solemnly, smacking a fist into his palm.

That gets a snort out of Max. "I don't know how you make the threat of violence sound so charming," he says wryly, and Johnny feels his ears start heating up again. He reaches out and flips over the price tag. "Besides, it's too expensive anyway."

"That sucks," Johnny says, and part of his answer is selfish, because his mouth had gone pretty dry at the thought of Max wearing something that cute.

"Yeah. Oh well." Max just shrugs. 

There's a bit of an awkward silence.

Johnny pulls out his phone and checks the time, ignoring the fifty missed texts. "It's almost 1:30. You hungry or anythin'? There's a cafe down there. 's pretty good." He nods his head towards it.

"Yeah, a little bit," Max admits. "Guess I should probably eat something besides candy, huh?"

"Probably," Johnny deadpans. "Else all your teeth will fall out and you'll be like, the world's oldest-looking middle schooler."

Max elbows him in the ribs. "Shut up!" He says, but he's laughing, and Johnny laughs too.

The outdoor cafe's seat-yourself sitting, and they end up at the only table that's left, wedged between an old woman on the right who's got her dog sitting at the table with its own plate and everything, and a young couple on the left who're busy making out. Max points a finger at them and mouths 'seriously?'. Johnny just shrugs, trying to keep his face as composed as possible.

"Hey, guys!" The server says brightly as she swings around with menus and two glasses of water. Her name tag says Penny. "You two having fun today?"

"In a loose manner of the word," Max starts at the same time Johnny says yes, and she blinks. "Yeah," Max amends hastily when Johnny shoots him a hurt look. "I was just kidding."

"Okay, well," she lays the stuff on the table. "I'll give you some time to think and then I'll be back to take your orders, okay?"

"Geez, y'scared me," Johnny says as he watches her speed-walk away. "I thought you really weren't having fun for a sec."

"Sorry." Max has his face buried in the menu, avoiding eye contact. "Sarcasm's just, um. My go-to thing? I'm trying to work on it."

"Oh," is all Johnny can say. The couple next to them finally comes up for air, and pay their bill and leave.

"Man, I don't know why grown-ups always do that in public." Max sounds vaguely grossed out. Johnny just hums vaguely in agreement and focuses on the menu, mentally kicking the dream back out of his head as violently as possible. "Ugh, this place is kinda spendy. I've only got ten bucks left." He looks over at him. "You wanna split something?"

"Sure." He puts the menu down. "So long as you don't get anything weird."

"And here I thought you'd eat anything," Max says with a teasing bite to his voice, and Johnny flounders.

"Well - you - I'm a growing boy!" He manages, finally. "Maybe you won't be so small if y'ate more."

"I'm average height." Max sounds nonplussed. "Besides, my mom was short, and I take more after her than my dad."

Johnny can't think of anything to say to that. The waitress comes back, finally, and he breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

"You guys all set?" She asks, with forced chipperness.

"Oh, yeah. Um, actually," Max points at a page, "what's the 'special'"? He does air quotes, and Johnny sneaks a peek at the menu. Huh. It actually is in quotation marks.

"It's a surprise!" The waitress says, and he watches Max go through several different emotions before finally settling on resigned acceptance.

"We'll take that." He glances at Johnny. "That cool?"

"It's cool." He's about to smile when he remembers his teeth, and he ends up just awkwardly snapping his mouth shut as Max hands over the menus.

"Okay," Max says after she leaves. "So. Tomorrow. We're gonna go into school early so we can catch the rest of the Club before they leave for morning patrol, all right?"

"Yeah," Johnny replies, even though he has no idea what 'morning patrol' is. He still doesn't understand a lot of this stuff, but if there's one thing he's good at, it's rolling with the punches.

"Man, Isabel's gonna get a kick outta this. You should've seen how excited she was when she found out I was a spectral." Max pauses, considering. "Um. Issac's gonna be pretty mad about you burning his hangout spot down, though, so maybe uh...don't mention that you did that."

"What, he's friends with that weird doorknob guy?"

"I...think so?" He shrugs. "I only met him once, so. I dunno, he didn't really seem like to type to go around kidnapping random seventh graders." Max's eyes go wide. "Oh, I bet I know what happened. Your spirit probably took control and walked you out there."

That definitely makes Johnny feel uncomfortable. Nobody makes him do things he doesn't want, especially not some weirdo ghost hanging out in his body giving him bad dreams and the world's worst powers. "I hate that," he says, hands curling into fists under the table. "I don't-" He breaks off, at a loss for words. The thought of something being able to take control of him like that, being able to get in his head and make him forget things, is terrifying.

"I'll bet." Max looks sympathetic. "What I can't figure out is why. Maybe your spirit knows the Doorman? We could ask Issac."

Johnny takes a deep breath and reaches for the water glass, downing it in one go. He's hot again, and he knows Max can probably feel the heat from across the table. He wishes he knew how to turn it off, wishes he knew how to keep the fear of his powers from washing over him like he's drowning in the ocean, wishes-

"Hey," Max says, jerking him out of his thoughts. He's got a soft look in his eye that makes something hot spark up in Johnny's chest. "You're spiraling." He nudges Johnny's foot under the table. "It'll be okay, okay?"

He just nods, not trusting himself to speak.

The waitress comes back just then, and Max takes the tray from her with a thanks. The 'special' turns out to be a large plate of french fries artfully arranged into a scale model of the Eiffel Tower. Max takes one look at it and puts his head down at the table. Johnny thinks he's upset at first, but then he realizes he's laughing so hard he's not even making any noise.

"Isn't-" he gasps out, looking up at him, "anything - in this town - normal?" He's crying a bit from the laughter.

"Everything used to be normal 'til I met ya," Johnny starts to say, but Max's laughter is infectious, and soon everyone else in the cafe is looking at them, annoyed at them for disturbing the peace.

"Oh, God, okay. I'm good," Max wheezes, sitting up. He glances at something over Johnny's shoulder and his face switches expressions so fast it's like someone flipped a switch.

"What?" Johnny twists around and feels his own heart drop. "Jesus, that guy again?" The man from the convention is back, pacing in circles at the end of the street. He's swinging that stupid machine around again.

"Man, why doesn't he ever give up?" Max hisses. "I'm just trying to enjoy my afternoon!"

The man looks up and makes direct eye contact with Johnny.

"Okay, time to go." Max jumps to his feet, chair screeching loudly against the sidewalk. He picks up the entire plate of fries and dumps it into his backpack, then throws the rest of his cash down on the table.

"Really? You're takin' the fries?" Johnny asks, alternating between keeping an eye on the man and looking for an escape route.

"Hey, I paid for 'em!" Max protests, swinging the backpack back on. "What're our options?"

"That way." Johnny points towards the parking lot. "We can lose him in the cars." He pelts across the cafe, Max hot on his heels, and they jump over the hedge wall, hitting the ground running.

Johnny takes a long, zigzagging path through the parking lot - he's not the best at avoiding being captured in Ultimate Paintball for no reason - and they finally skid to a stop behind a large RV, panting heavily.

"We lose him?" He asks when he's got his breath back, peering around the edge of the camper.

"I think so," Max says from somewhere around his armpit. "I - oh no, I see him." He pulls back, bumping into Johnny and stepping on his feet.

"No, wait," Johnny says, doing his best to ignore the fact that Max is basically pressed up against him. "He's goin' towards that car." They both watch, holding their breath. The man puts the device down and shakes his head, getting in a car. The ignition starts, and after several long, agonizing seconds, the car heads to the parking lot exit. Max lets out a whoop.

"Yeah, you better go! Leave us alone!"

"That was right in my ear," Johnny complains. Max twists around to look at him, the brim of his hat brushing his face, and Johnny steps back hastily.

"Sorry," Max says. "I'm just glad he finally left."

"Yeah, m'too. What was even up with that?"

"No clue." He shakes his head. "And frankly, I don't want to know. I've got enough weirdness in my life already." Max sighs loudly. "Welcome to the life of being a spectral."

"I like it," Johnny says, and for the most part, it's true. Sure, he could do without the fire powers, but everything else? It's amazing. "It's exciting. Plus I probably get ta’ fight stuff, right?"

Max gives him a look that's equal parts exasperated and something else Johnny can't quite place. "Yeah, you'll get to fight lots of stuff."

"Awesome." Johnny grins, and it's extra sharp. Max just shakes his head.

"Well, it's almost..." he checks the time "...2:30. Still got a couple hours left. Any other plans?"

"I can think'ova couple things," Johnny starts, but he's interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. "Can we eat those fries first, though? I'm starvin'."

"Oh, yeah." Max pulls a face. "They're probably cold by now. Aw, geez," he adds with genuine distress, "my backpack's all greasy."

"That's yer own fault," Johnny says airly, unzipping Max's backpack and snagging a fry.

"Okay, technically, it was that weird guy's fault 'cuz he's the one who chased us away." Max slaps his hand away from the zipper. "Geez, at least wait 'til we get out of the parking lot."

"Let's go finda place t'sit down, then," he says, and purposefully unzips the backpack as far as it'll go. On a whim, he grabs Max's bat and yanks it out.

"Hey!" Max makes a grab for it, and he dodges. "Johnny, give that back!"

"Gotta catch me first!" He yells, zipping off towards the mall entrance.

"Wha- Johnny!" Max shouts in exasperation, giving chase.

He leaves a trail of French fries behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to johnny for only taking ten whole chapters to realize he has a crush i'm very proud of him


	11. errant embers

“Hey guys, guess what?” His dad exclaims cheerfully when he picks them up, and Max is immediately suspicious. “I’m putting you to work! A bunch of shipments came in while you were out, and we gotta process them before the store opens tomorrow.”

Max groans loudly as he climbs into the backseat, Johnny right behind him. Zoey’s got the front again. “Dad, I’m pretty sure child labor is illegal.”

“Hey, you’re getting paid for it, so I’m pretty sure that counts as an equal exchange of goods and services.” He looks at them in the rearview mirror, making sure they’re both buckled in before starting the car.

"Oh, are we getting paid?" Max is a bit surprised. His dad doesn't usually do allowance. Max doesn't really mind, 'cuz he knows money's tight most days.

"Well," his dad amends, pulling the car out of the parking lot, "in pizza, anyway. We can make a party out of it!"

"Putting pop away for three hours is not my idea of a party," Max grumbles half-heartedly. He shoots a glance at Johnny on the seat next to him, looking completely lost. "You don't have to do it, just so you know."

"Nah, I can help," Johnny says, way more eagerly than Max was expecting. "Plus, I'm never one ta’ turn down free food."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you have a bottomless pit for a stomach," he teases. He'd barely gotten any of the fries, and he'd been the one who'd paid for them.

Johnny just shrugs, but his face goes a bit red.

His dad glances over his shoulder at them, and Max instinctively makes a grab for the car handle on the roof. "Eyes on the road!" He yelps, holding on for dear life.

"Sorry, bud." His dad turns back to the front, and Max lets out a sigh of relief. "I was just going to say, the more the merrier. What kinda pizza you guys want? I'll place an order when we get to the store."

"I want pepperoni!" Zoey pipes up, and Max gives her a death glare.

"We got that last time!"

"Yeah, 'cuz your taste in pizza is boring!" She shoots back. "It's pizza! You can put literally anything on it, and all you want is cheese."

Max places a hand on her shoulder. "Zoey, I gotta level with you," he intones seriously. "The truth is, I'm actually the physical manifestation of Wisconsin, and if I don't eat enough cheese, I'll die." She rolls her eyes and sticks out her tongue. Johnny makes a weird strangled noise, and when Max looks at him, he's got both hands over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laugh. He grins at him, and Johnny loses it.

"We can do half-and-half," his dad suggests, raising his voice above Johnny's giggle fit. "Sound good?"

"I guess," Max and Zoey say at the same time.

"Jinx!" She says, before he can react. "You owe me a pop!"

"Dang it!" He groans loudly. "You already cleared me out of all my cash."

"It doesn't have to be today," Zoey says, shrugging. "Dad's already gonna get some with the pizza." She points a finger at him. "Just don't forget!"

"Cross my heart," Max deadpans, without actually crossing his heart. He turns to Johnny. "Half-and-half okay with you?"

"Yeah." He's mostly composed by now. Geez, Max doesn't think he's _that_ funny. "Y'know me. I'll eat anything."

"Anything?" Max raises an eyebrow. "What about, um..." He pauses, trying to find the grossest food he can think of. "What if someone gave you a bug and told you to eat it?"

"I'd eat it," Johnny says with absolute sincerity, and Max pulls a face. "Hey, they do that in other countries, y'know."

"Good for them, I guess," Max says, but he still shudders at the thought.

The car pulls up at their house/store. Max can see PJ up in his bedroom, face pressed against the window. He doesn't see Lefty, but that's not too unusual. The hand likes to take walks.

His dad parks in the garage and shuts off the car. "Okay, gang, let's go!" He yells, flinging open the door and attempting to fling himself after it, only to be stopped by the fact that he'd forgotten to unbuckle his seat belt.

"Dad." Max is standing in front of the door, staring at his father. He'd managed to get out of the car just fine. "You're embarrassing me in front of my friend."

"It's part of the job description," his dad says, absorbed in trying to get the buckle to unlatch. Zoey reaches across and releases it with one push. "Oh, thanks, sweetie. Now let's go!" He slams the door and bounces into the store.

Max and Zoey share a glance and follow after him.

"Is your dad always like this?" Johnny whispers into his ear as they enter the store, and Max leans away from the rush of hot air.

"Yeah, pretty much," Max admits. He used to get embarrassed by his dad's behavior, and, well, sometimes he still does, but he also loves him a lot and he knows it's not easy raising two kids by yourself, so Max gives him a pass. Usually.

"I like him," Johnny says suddenly, and Max looks at him. He thinks about how Johnny's dad is barely in the picture, how Ed's parents are missing, how Isabel's grandpa treats her, and suddenly his own dad doesn't seem so bad after all.

"If you let him hear that he'll probably try and adopt you," Max quips, watching him ring up the pizza shop and place his order with large, dramatic hand gestures. He nudges Johnny in the side. "C'mon, let's go see what kinda stuff came in."

Zoey's already in the storage shed when they get there, hands on her hips, staring at a box that's nearly as tall as she is. "I can't get this open," she complains. "Max, did you take the knife again?"

"I haven't touched it." He frowns at her. "Besides, didn't dad say you can't use it anyway?"

"If I can run the register I should be able to use a safety knife," Zoey says, primly. "I'm almost seven."

"Yeah, if by almost you mean in eight months." Max is rummaging around the shed, trying to find the missing knife. "Man, where did it go?" He has a sudden vivid memory of his dad buttering toast with it at breakfast last week. Ah.

"Here, use this." Johnny hands him a Swiss Army knife.

"Thanks." Max takes it without thinking. Realization sets in a second later, and he slowly turns to look at Johnny. "Have you been carrying around a weapon this entire weekend?"

"Hey, it's a lot more than just a knife!" Johnny protests. "It's got all kinda things on it, an' I like to be prepared. 'Sides, you've gotta weapon too." He points at the bat sticking out of Max's backpack, which still smells like fries.

"Yeah, what's up with the bat?" Zoey chimes in. "You're always carrying it around."

"Can we please stop ganging up on my bat?" Max says loudly, vaguely worried that Scrapdragon's gonna hear this and get offended. "Let's just get these boxes open.”

Zoey just shrugs, and they get to town unboxing.

His dad wanders in a view minutes later. "Pizza should be here by six," he announces, gaze falling on the empty boxes scattered across the room. "Hey, looking nice! Good thing there wasn't anything frozen in there this time." His eyes unfocus, and Max knows he's flashing back to the Great Ice Cream Incident of September. He shakes his head suddenly. "Let's get these guys loaded up."

Max helps his dad maneuver a load onto the dolly, and they push it into the store. The load wobbles when they pass over the threshold, and he darts forward to catch something that's threatening to slide off. "Oh, nice catch!" His dad eyes him. "You know, maybe we should sign you up for baseball. Since you've already got that bat and everything."

"Oh, um, I'm good," Max says, nervously. "I'm already in a club anyway."

"Ah, right. The one where you do 'activities'". Max has never seen a more genuine pair of air quotes in his entire life. "Well, I'm just glad you're involved in stuff." He stops the dolly in the middle of the store. "All right, time to get crackin'!"

Max and Johnny end up in the frozen foods aisle while his dad and Zoey do the canned stuff. "God, that feels good," Johnny says, opening a freezer and sticking his head in it. "I'm so damn hot all the time."

"Hey, watch your language," Max scolds with a glance towards his family. "I've got an impressionable young sister here."

"Oops. Sorry." He shoots his own guilty look in Zoey’s direction.

"It's cool." Max starts handing him pop bottles. "Put those in there, would ya? Everything's labelled, so just follow that."

They work in silence for a bit.

"Hey," Johnny says after a couple minutes, very quietly. "I've been meanin' to ask. Uh. Did y'freak when ya got your powers too?" He's not looking at him, and Max can see his ears turn bright red through the freezer door.

"Oh yeah," he laughs, passing over another bottle. "Man, I had no idea what was going on. Like, it was literally my first day in this town!" He pauses, considering. "It would've been rough if the Club hadn't found me right away, probably." Thinking about it, it was kinda weird Isabel had ended up locking him in the one closet that had a tool in it. It was almost like someone - something - wanted him to find that bat.

Johnny looks at him through the glass of the door. "D'you like it here, though? In Mayview?"

"Yeah. I do." Max says with complete honesty. "It's different than Baxsborugh, and it's weird, like, really, _really_ weird, but I like it."

" 'm glad." They make eye contact, and Johnny looks away quickly. "This one's done!" He says loudly, practically slamming the door.

"Uh, okay?" Max decides not to question what just happened.

"You guys good over there?" His dad calls from the other end of the store.

"Yeah!" Max says back, turning to the next section. He jumps a little bit when he sees PJ behind the door. "Geez, PJ, you gotta stop scaring me like that. What's up?"

"Sorry, Mr. Max." PJ floats out of the freezer. "I just came down to see if I could help."

"Not unless you can pick up this stuff." Max hefts a can. "But you can hang with us. Where's Lefty, anyway? I haven't seen him for a while."

"Um," PJ says nervously, looking over Max's shoulder, and he has a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. He turns around as slowly as possibly, half hoping that whatever stupid thing is going on behind him will be finished by the time he's done.

No such luck.

The two of them are doing a slow circle around each other like in old cowboy movies. Johnny looks like he's about to square up, and Max practically dives in between them. "Woah, easy there, tiger! And um, disembodied hand." He puts one hand on Lefty, the ghost dwarfing his own puny appendage, and the other against Johnny's chest. It's like touching a stove, Max thinks, and he grits his teeth. "Why don't we try using our words like civilized people?"

"I ain't talkin' to that thing!" Johnny spits out. "It's been insultin' me since last night!"

"Inside voices!" Max says plaintively. "Lefty's just like to everyone," he tells Johnny. "You can't take it personally."

Lefty just flips Johnny the bird in response to that, and he snaps.

"Oh geez," Max yelps, diving to the floor. Above him, Johnny's doing his best to wrassle with a freakin' disembodied hand. "This is ridiculous!" He whisper-yells, shooting an anxious glance towards the canned goods section. Please don't come over here right now-

"Um, Mr. Max?" PJ sounds even more nervous than before. "Your friend is on fire."

Max is very tempted to just walk out of the store and vanish into the night.

"All right, that does it!" He yells, jumping to his feet. His bat's in his hand without him even realizing it. "That's enough, both of you! Cut it out!"

They both ignore him. Johnny swings a wild haymaker, and Lefty expertly avoids it before delivering a punch of his own right into Johnny's stomach. He lands on the floor with a winded oof, flames dancing in the reflection of the polished tile floor.

"Lefty, stop it!" Max raises his bat when it seems like the hand is going to go in for a finishing blow. "Johnny, you need to stop being on fire right now!" He hisses loudly. "You're gonna set off the sprinklers. You-" He cuts off when he catches sight of Zoey standing at the end of the aisle, staring at them.

Max realizes how bad this has to look. Johnny's on the ground, literally on fire, and he's standing above him, bat in the air. Hasn't he been in this exact same situation before with Spender?

"Uh," he says weakly. "I can explain?"

Zoey's just staring. At his feet, Johnny finally extinguishes himself. Max doesn't see either PJ or Lefty. The probably fled the scene like the cowards they are.

"Dad sent me over to see what was going on," Zoey says, finally. "...what's going on?"

Max and Johnny exchange a glance. "...arts and crafts?" Max offers, full aware of how stupid an excuse that is. Zoey's a smart kid. She'd never buy that.

"Sure," Zoey says dubiously. "He was just on fire." She points at Johnny, who's still kinda smoking.

"Zoey, don't be silly!" Max is definitely panicking now. "He's fine! Don't you think if someone was actually on fire they'd be more like, um," he gestures with the bat, " 'oh no I'm on fire, please take me to the hospital'?" Max nudges Johnny with his foot. "Stand up!" He mutters out of the side of his mouth.

Johnny gets to his feet, brushing soot off his pants. "Check it out," he says, doing a 360 with his arms extended. "Y'see any damage?"

"No, but-" Zoey frowns so hard she ages seventy years. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Lots of stuff doesn't make sense, Zoey. That's life."

She huffs and turns to go. "I'm gonna keep my eye on you two!" Zoey declares before vanishing around the corner. She pops back up for a second to give them the 'I'm watching you' gesture before disappearing again.

Max laughs nervously and then spins around to give Johnny a death glare. "Thanks a lot! You almost gave everything away!"

"My bad." He's at least got the decency to look sheepish. Max takes in a deep, deep breath and holds it till he thinks he's gonna pass out, then exhales loudly.

"It's like I'm babysitting a toddler," he grumbles, and Johnny goes red.

There's a sudden knock at the door. "Oh, pizza's here!" His dad exclaims excitedly, and Max hears a loud crashing coming from the aisle he's in. A can rolls out towards them and Max stops it with his foot. He watches as his dad rushes to the door. "Hey Max, come take this, will you?" He calls, trying to find which pocket his wallet's in.

"I got it." Max takes the pizza from the delivery girl. "Thanks."

"Have a good night!" His dad says, pressing a tip into her hand. "Okay, kids," he addresses them after she's left. "I think we've gotten a pretty good start, so let's enjoy this well-deserved and delicious meal." He raises his hand and mumbles something in a nonsense language. "There, now it's blessed."

"Dad, you can't just say random things and call it a blessing," Max says as he hops up on the counter, sitting cross-legged. Johnny leans against it next to him.

"Oh Max, Max." His dad shakes his head sadly. "It may sound like nonsense to your uneducated ears, but it's actually Sindarin, the beautiful language of the High Elves. It's an honor to be able to speak it so fluently."

"Yeah, for nerds," Max mutters to Johnny as he takes a big bite of pizza, and Johnny snorts. His dad just sticks out his tongue at him before reaching for a slice and sitting on the ground next to Zoey. "Hey," Max continues, keeping his voice quiet enough that his family won't overhear, "do you think if you held onto this box all night long the pizza would stay warm?"

"Ya gotta stop tryna use me for stuff." Johnny sounds exasperated, and Max just shrugs.

"Hey, I'm just trying out some creative thinking. You're basically a walking furnace, dude. Why not put it to good use?"

Johnny just eyes him and sets to work devouring a piece of pizza. Max smiles slightly to himself and takes another bite, thinking. This weekend's just been nuts, and he has a feeling the rest of the week's not going to go any smoother. Oh well, Max decides. He'll figure it out when he gets to it.

The only thing he's gotta worry about right now is beating Zoey in rock-paper-scissors for the last slice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [writes pop multiple times in this chapter] oh no my midwesterner is showing


	12. throwing sticks in the fire

Monday morning finally, _finally_ rolls around, and Max is slumped on the couch in the Activity Club homeroom, absolutely exhausted. He's so zoned out he doesn't even notice Isabel opening the door until she starts talking.

"Morning," she says, voice bemused. "You're looking rather...singed?"

"Blurgh," Max replies eloquently. "Long weekend."

Her eyes fall on Johnny where he's sitting next to Max on the couch, mostly upside down, legs hooked over the back and one foot bouncing restlessly. He's staring intently at the corner of the room. "So, uh. Why's Johnny here?"

"That's part of it." Max struggles to sit up straight, rubbing at his eyes. "We need to talk to Spender. And you, and the rest of the club."

"Hey," Johnny interrupts loudly, pointing at the corner. "Is that guy over there givin' anyone else the stink eye?"

"Oh, that's just Joe," Isabel says dismissively. "He always looks like that." Her eyes widen as the implication of what he just said sinks in. "Wait a minute. What-" She looks back and forth between Max and Johnny. "You mean-"

"Yep." Max flops back against the couch and closes his eyes.

"No way!" Isabel squeals in delight. "Two new spectrals in one year? I can't believe it!" She throws herself down on the couch next to Johnny. "Tell me everything! Who's your spirit? Do you have a tool? What is it? How long have you had it?"

Johnny just blinks in the face of her onslaught, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Geez, Iz, you're gonna scare him off." Max cracks open one eye and looks at her.

"Sorry!" She's bouncing up and down a little. "It's just, y'know, I've known like the same ten spectrals my whole life, and it gets really boring after a while." She gestures at Johnny. "And him of all people!"

"Quit talkin' bout me like I'm not here." Johnny flips himself upright. "This stuff’s all new to me, so y'gotta say your questions slower."

"Okay, let's just start with one." She stares at him intently. "How long have you been a spectral?"

Johnny hesitates and glances at Max. "Since the whole Ghost Train thing," Max says, and he can see Isabel doing the math in her head.

"Almost a whole month ago? Wow. Hey, wait a sec." She narrows her eyes at Max. "How long have you known about this? Have you been keeping secrets from me?"

"Wow, chill." Max raises his hands, mollifying. "I only found out this weekend 'cuz he showed up at my place at like three in the morning after he set a house on fire."

"Oh, you've got a fire spirit! Neat." Isabel exclaims, seemingly glossing right over the mentioned arson. Max doesn't miss the way one corner of her mouth twitches for just a moment, though, and wonders if she's thinking about her grandfather. She looks Johnny up and down. "You got a tool?"

He shakes his head. "Nope."

"He got possessed by something out in the woods," Max adds dryly, and Isabel frowns slightly.

"Oh, Spender's not going to like that." She draws herself up, crosses her arms with a huff. "Well, we're not gonna have an Isaac 2.0 situation on our hands. I promise."

Isaac himself chooses that moment to burst through the door, a literal storm cloud roiling above his head. "Someone burned my hangout down!" He fumes, and both Max and Isabel look at Johnny, who's seemingly doing his best to pretend he doesn't exist.

He pulls up to a stop when he sees Johnny. "Hey, what's he doing here?"

"He's a-" Isabel starts to say when Ed comes bounding into the room.

"Hey, guys! Happy Monday! Woah, full house." He frowns as he takes in Isaac and his storm cloud, and Max, Isabel, and Johnny on the couch. "Why's Johnny here?"

"He's-" This time Isabel's interrupted by Spender walking in, a file folder under his arm.

"Morning, kids!" He says brightly, then stops and looks around the room. His mouth's moving, like he's counting under his breath. "There's one too many people in here." His eyes fall on Johnny - Max thinks so, anyway, 'cuz it's kinda hard to tell with his sunglasses - and he frowns too. "Who's this?"

"Johnny's a new spectral!" Isabel practically screams.

There's a deafening silence.

Then there's a lot of questions, whos and hows and whys and whens, and Johnny looks freaked.

"Okay, okay, quiet!" Spender says, raising a hand. "One person at a time, please." He closes the door and then sits down on the other couch, facing them. Ed perches on the arm of their couch, next to Isabel, and Isaac lurks behind them. Spender steeples his fingers, and Max has to resist the urge to groan. Oh God, here comes the Cool and Mysterious Act.

"Two new spectrals in such a short time frame is very unusual," Spender continues, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He looks at Johnny. "I don't think I have you in my class, do I? Thought so," he says when Johnny shakes his head. "What's your name?" He asks brightly. Literally. Max flinches and rubs his eyes, little black dots floating in his vision.

Johnny looks like he's about to flee the room, and Max nudges him with his knee, gently. Gesture of support and all that. "Uh...Johnny?" He's pretty hesitant about it, but at least he stays put.

"Nice to meet you!" Spender holds out his hand. Johnny just looks at it. "Well," he says with a cough, awkwardly withdrawing his hand. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since September. Max says I got possessed by some ghosty thing while me an' my boys were out in the woods trying to follow you guys to that train or whatever."

"Wait, what?" If Max could see Spender's eyes, he's pretty sure he would've just blinked.

"Then I started seein' weird purple stuff," Johnny continues, steamrolling over Spender's interruption. "And then on Saturday I started havin' fire powers."

"I spent all weekend trying to keep him from burning my house down," Max complains mildly. He shoves Johnny's shoulder playfully, and Isaac makes a choking noise from behind him.

"Hey, wait a minute." His face appears in Max's line of view. Max can see a little lightning bolt shooting through the storm cloud. "My place - you guys didn't-?"

"Uh," Max starts nervously, but he's mercifully interrupted by Spender getting to his feet.

"You said fire powers?" He asks, sharply, and there's something in his voice that makes all the kids look at each other.

"Um, yeah?" Johnny crosses his arms and glares at Spender. "I don't want 'em neither, so don't give me that tone."

Spender turns away and spends almost a full minute staring out the window, jaw working. Max and Isabel share a glance. Her brow's furrowed. 'What's with that?' She mouths, and Max shrugs, just as lost as she is.

"Sorry," Spender says finally, turning back to them. "I was just thinking. I...no, never mind." He walks back to the door and opens it. "Okay, kids, off to morning patrol you go. I need to talk to Johnny here alone."

"But-" Max protests as Spender hustles them all out. He catches a glimpse of Johnny, still sitting on the couch, looking very alone and very nervous, before the door is shut in their faces.

"Ugh!" Isabel yells, throwing her hands up in the air. She's really steamed now. "Why won't he ever give us a straight answer?" She sneaks a glance at Isaac, who uncharacteristically hasn't said anything in response to that remark. "It's really not fun being left in the dark," she says to him, quietly.

"Yeah," Isaac replies, hands in his pockets. The storm cloud dwindles away. There's an awkward silence as the four of them stare at the closed door.

"Well," Ed pipes up eventually, "we gonna eavesdrop or what?"

Isabel grins widely. "You bet your sweet-"

The door swings open suddenly, narrowly avoiding smacking Max in the face. Spender's standing in the doorway, hands on his hips. "What are you kids still doing here? Isabel, can you start the morning patrol, please?" He pauses, glancing at Max. "Actually, Max, you better get to class. You can sit out for this one."

"School doesn't start for another twenty minutes," Max points out, and Spender pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Can you please just-"

"Fine," Isabel cuts in, eyes narrowed. She turns abruptly. "C'mon, boys," she says, marching down the hallway with Ed and Isaac in tow. "See ya later, Max." 

Max watches them disappear around a corner. He gives Spender a final hard look of his own and then heads in the opposite direction.

He makes it about halfway to his locker before he's yanked into a closet.

A pair of very large and very strong hands force him down into a chair, and a blindingly bright light is switched on. Max screams, something he's not very proud of, but _Jesus_ , that hurts. He bends almost in half, hands pressed hard against his eyes.

"Stephen, point that thing somewhere else," a familiar voice says. "You're gonna blind him."

Oh thank God, Max thinks as the light dims. He waits a couple seconds for the pain in his head to fade before looking up blearily, eyes watering. He's pretty sure he's in that one closet again. Johnny's friends are looming above him, staring him down. "You guys again," Max says flatly. He's too tired to really be bothered. "What's up this time?" He squints at the lamp Stephen's holding. "Where'd you even get that?"

"Nicked it from the theater department," he says, proudly, and Max just nods.

"Okay." He turns back to Ollie. "Am I being hazed? If you guys are looking for Johnny he's talking with a teacher right now, so-"

"Johnny doesn't know about this," Ollie says back, and Max blinks. Well, that's incredibly ominous. Johnny did say he wouldn't tell his friends anything 'til Monday, right? Do they know about the whole ghost superpowers thing now? Is he being interrogated?

"Well, it's been nice talking to you guys, but I really gotta get going, so-" Max goes to stand up and is immediately pushed back down. He scowls, trying to cover up his nervousness. "Okay, seriously. What's this about?"

"RJ, give him the questionnaire." Ollie nods at them, and they hand over a huge stack of papers. Max's traitorous hand takes it automatically.

He looks down at it skeptically. "Geez, how many trees did ya kill for this?" The sheaf of paper is easily several inches thick, and he flips through it absently. It really is a questionnaire, which is super weird, and the questions range from ‘what's your favorite color?’ to ‘how would you handle being abducted by aliens?’. "Okay," Max points at it, raising an eyebrow, "first of all, what? And second of all, what?"

"Just fill it out."

"Or else you'll get lamped again!" Stephen threatens, waving the thing around.

Max quietly decides to just roll with it, 'cuz Ollie's doing a pretty good job of exuding menace and he's definitely feeling threatened. He briefly considers just making a run for it, but quickly nixes that idea. There's three of them, and they don't fight fair.

"Fine," he groans, rolling his eyes. "You got a pen?"

RJ passes one over.

"You guys make like, negative sense, you know," he says as he tackles the first question. It's pretty easy: what's your full name? "Why do you even need to know my middle name?"

"Compatibility," Stephen says cryptically.

Max makes it about halfway through the questionnaire, getting increasingly sweaty under Ollie's stern and watchful eye, when the warning bell for first period rings. He stops mid-sentence and looks up expectantly. "You gonna let me go to class?"

RJ just snatches the papers out of his hands and they all huddle around it, mumbling stuff that Max can't quite make out. He very slowly and cautiously gets to his feet. No response from the Jang. He starts backing up at a snail's pace.

Ollie whips around and Max freezes in place, one hand outstretched in a reach for the door handle. "You're good to go." He narrows his eyes. "For now. We'll be back to get the rest later."

"Can't wait," Max says weakly. He sidles out the door, maintaining eye contact with the Jang the whole time. Never turn your back on a predator.

He bumps into Johnny out in the hall almost immediately. He's looking a little rattled, and Max wonders just what Spender said to him. "Hey," he greets.

"Hey." Johnny blinks at him. "What're you doing in there?"

"Funny story," Max says, completely deadpan. "Your friends pulled me in there and forced me to fill out a questionnaire."

He watches as Johnny's face turns red in record time. "They - what?" He splutters, looking like he's ready to go marching into the closet himself. "Wh- what- _why?_ "

"No idea." Max shrugs. "If you find out, let me know, will ya? I really gotta get to class." He starts to leave, then pauses. "Hey," he says again, quieter. "What did Spender say to you? You look kinda upset."

"He-" Johnny starts, and the bell rings again, echoing in the now-empty hallway. "Tell you durin' math class," he finishes quickly, then yanks the closet open and practically throws himself inside. 

Max frowns a bit but doesn't push it. He'd gotten pretty used to spending all his time with Johnny over the weekend, and having to go back to school and be separate feels kinda...he doesn't know. Weird? Maybe that's not the right word. But he's definitely feeling _something_.

Guess it doesn't really matter, Max thinks as he enters his first period class and takes his seat. Mr. Garcia doesn't even bother to write him up for being late.

"Wow, you looked exhausted," Violet says from behind him.

"Long weekend." Max slumps down in his seat and does his best to stop thinking about Johnny. At least for the next forty minutes.

Mr. Garcia's writing something on the board up front. "We're going to continue the group projects," he announces, "so get with your partners. You all know what to do, right?" He sits back down at his desk. "Behave. And don't bother me unless someone's dying." Then he promptly goes back to sleep.

There's a general scraping of desks as everyone in the classroom forms up into their groups. Max scoots his around so he's facing Violet, Jeff, and Cody. Ed's not there yet, and he hopes the rest of the Club didn't run into trouble during morning patrol. Lisa's missing too, and frankly, Max is fine with that. She kinda gives him the creeps.

Violet's already got all their papers spread across her desk. "Geez, you leave any work for us?" Cody asks lightly, and Max doesn't miss the cold look she gives him.

"You wanna take charge of this too? Go ahead." She pushes a paper over with a stiff finger.

"No, it's fine. You're doing good." Cody seems unruffled, his usual smile still in place.

Max shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Not for the first time, he wonders just what kind of beef's going on between them, but he's not gonna ask.

Jeff remains totally oblivious. "Hey," he asks, leaning way into Max's personal space, "does anyone else smell french fries?"

Max kicks his backpack under his desk. "Nope," he lies. He'd washed that dang thing three times and it still smells like salt and grease. He takes a paper from Violet's pile, studiously avoiding eye contact with Jeff. They're doing a presentation of gravity, and she's got everything sectioned up. Max gets to research Newton, and he sighs a bit. Math and science aren't really his favorite things. He’s good at them, sure, but he doesn’t enjoy them.

"Dang," Jeff grumbles. "I'm hungry. Oh, hey." He brightens up a bit. "Did anybody else get interviewed by Suzy this morning for the newspaper?"

"What's she up to now?" Max puts his pencil down in exasperation. If she's back to snooping around the Activity Club-

"She was talking about that house out in the woods that burned down this weekend," Jeff continues. "Y'know, the one that was on the news? Suzy says she has a big scoop about how it wasn't really an accident." 

Violet snorts loudly. "Even if it was deliberate, it was probably just some bored teenagers. It's hardly worth writing about."

"She tried to talk to me this morning too," Cody chimes in. "But I'm not allowed to talk to the press, since I'm on the Student Council and all."

"Boy, there sure are a lot of things you can't do," Violet snarks, and Cody actually drops his smile.

"Can we please not fight," Max grits out, desperate to avoid any more confrontation. Inwardly he's thinking he's gotta keep Johnny away from Suzy at all costs, cuz he definitely does not need her spreading the fact that he's a freakin' fire-breather all over school.

"Sorry," Violet says, and they spend the rest of class working in silence. 

Max practically runs out of the classroom when the bell rings. He wants to make it second period early so Johnny can give him the dirt on him and Spender's conversation. He's not there when Max arrives, and he sits down in the empty classroom, dejected. He's not really sure what he was expecting.

He pulls out his phone and snaps off a quick text to the Activity Club chat.

**> shred eagle (9:17):** hey u guys ok?? ed wasnt in class last period

His phones buzzes as Isabel replies back.

**> bookworm (9:18):** um  
**> bookworm (9:18):** we're doing damage control  
**> bookworm (9:19):** isaac accidentally flooded the 2nd floor boy's bathroom  
**> bookworm (9:20):** and ed lost his glasses  
**> bookworm (9:21):** also uh his nose  
**> bookworm (9:21):** we're still looking for it

Max raises an eyebrow, wondering just what kind of spirit had the power to steal people's facial features.

**> shred eagle (9:22):** u want any help??  
**> bookworm (9:23):** i think we're good thx  
**> bookworm (9:23):** see you in history

He looks up from his phone just in time to see Johnny come in. His hair's all messed up and he's breathing a little heavily. "What, did you get in a fight?" Max asks, incredulous. "You didn't use your powers, did you?"

"Nah," Johnny says as he throws himself into his seat. "I was just tusslin' with m'boys."

"Oh." Max clears his throat. "Did you, you know - tell them...?"

"Just the basics. Told 'em I'd give 'em the full story at lunch." He looks at Max. "You gonna be there t'back me up?"

"Uh, sure? If you want." He's not entirely convinced of the wisdom of letting a bunch of hyperactive, rowdy tweenagers onto the existence of ghosts, but what the heck. It's not like he really cares about Spender's rules anymore. Oh, and speaking of-

"What did Spender say to you?" He leans forward, keeping his voice low even though they're the only ones in the room.

Johnny plunks his elbows down on his desk and scowls. "Just a lotta grillin' me on my spirit. Kept asking me what it looks like and stuff like that."

"What _does_ it look like?" Max is curious. "Have you met it yet?"

He shakes his head. "Just in those dreams. It's like, uh...a really tall personish lookin' thing, 'cept it's made of metal, and its head looks like, uh. Hold on." He pulls a notebook out of his backpack and flips to a fresh page, scribbling something on it.

"Oh, an anvil," Max says when Johnny shows him the drawing.

"Yeah. That. Only with a buncha freaky teeth." He adds a jagged mouth to the drawing.

"Guess that explains yours," Max says, teasingly, and Johnny flushes.

"Anyway!" He stuffs the notebook back into his bag. "I told him I didn't know, 'cuz he was weirding me out. He let me go after that."

Max rests his cheek against his fist, thinking. "Wonder if Spender's got bad blood with your spirit." He sits up straighter as a thought occurs to him. "Y'know, he did jump out of the train for a bit, probably around the same time you got possessed? Maybe there's a connection." 

"He jumped out of a train?" Johnny sounds almost impressed, and Max resists the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah. But don't let that fool you into thinking he's cool." The classroom's starting to fill up, so he switches away from supernatural topics. "Oh, by the way. Suzy's doing an article on that 'arson in the woods', so, uh, I'd stay away from her if I was you."

"There's no way she can pin that on me!" Johnny protests loudly, and a couple of kids glance over at him. He just glares back.

"Yeah, that's if nobody lets anything slip." Max gives him a pointed look.

"My boys won't say anything." Johnny crosses his arms, practically daring Max to argue, so he doesn't.

"Good," is all he says, and the bell rings. Ms. Baxter comes sweeping into the room, and it's back to algebra.

Max doesn't focus on the lesson, because right now he's too busy thinking about the Activity Club, and Spender's secrets, and Isabel's resentment, and, and - did Ed ever get his nose back?

Oh, and Johnny never actually did say if he'd join the club or not. Max had just kinda assumed he would, but...he sneaks a look to his left. Johnny's bent over his desk, writing something down, but he glances up for a sec, and their eyes meet. Max quickly turns away, feeling awkward. Why's his face so hot all of a sudden?

The bell ringing startles him so bad he practically falls out of his seat. Max looks at the clock, brows furrowed. How the heck had he managed to zone out for forty whole minutes?

"Welcome back," Johnny says snarkily, standing in front of his desk. "Man, y'were totally spaced out."

"Um, just thinking about stuff." Max piles his stuff into his backpack, wrinkling his nose as the smell of french fries wafts out to meet him.

"Ghost stuff?"

"Yeah." He slings the bag over his shoulders. "Hey, I'll meet you guys during lunch, okay? Where you gonna be?"

"Outside, probably." Johnny shoves his hands in his pockets, looking kinda nervous. "Don't stand me up, alright?"

"It's a date," Max says without thinking, heading toward the door. He pauses mid-step when he realizes what he just said. "Uh, bad choice of words." He pivots awkwardly, looking at Johnny, who's gone bright red. "You know what I mean. See ya!" Max backs out into the hallway before he can stick his foot in his mouth again.

He's immediately met with Suzy shoving a microphone into his face. "Max!" She says, giving him what Max assumes is her most winning smile. It doesn't work on him, because he knows her true nature, and it's on the same level of scary as snakes and clowns, but not quite as scary as clowns with snakes. Or, um, snake clowns. Where is he going with this again? "Can I get a quote?" Suzy asks, very loudly and aggressively.

Max pushes the microphone away from his nose. "Where'd you even get that thing?"

"Borrowed it from the drama department," she says smugly, and Max gets the feeling 'borrowed' is more like 'stole'. They really should get a lock for their props room. "I think it lends an air of authority."

"Mhm." Max looks at the bright orange MADE IN CHINA sticker slapped on the bottom of the microphone. "What do you need a quote for? If you're trying to get dirt on the Activity Club again, forget it, 'cuz-"

"It's not that," Suzy interrupts. "I've moved on." Max sincerely doubts that, but doesn't question it. "I'm doing an article about that arson."

"The what?" He decides playing dumb is the best option here.

"You know." She gestures wildly with the microphone, and Max ducks. "That house that burned down."

"I don't know what a house is," Max says blankly, and she stares at him. Okay, too dumb. "Why're you even looking into this, anyway? It was an accident."

"That's where you're wrong!" Suzy shoves that stupid microphone forward again and nearly clocks Max in the eye. He grabs it in exasperation. "There's something going on here, I can feel it!" She continues, not even noticing that her prized possession is now missing. "There's been weird stuff going on in Mayview. Don't deny it." She glares at him, and Max closes his mouth, protest dying away. "And I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."

"You do that." Max hands the microphone back. "I've gotta get to class."

"Can I quote you on that?" She yells after him as he starts walking down the hallway.

"Whatever you want!" He yells back, and she squeals in delight.

Man, this whole situation is just turning into a tangled mess. Max makes it to English class with seconds to spare and sits down, still thinking hard. Maybe Spender's yarn metaphor wasn't so far off the mark after all.

Well, whatever. He's not going to worry about that particular problem right now. No, right now he's gonna worry about how Johnny telling his friends about his new powers is gonna play out. Max eyes the clock, feeling antsy. Only forty-three more minutes 'til lunch, and then he'll get his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> max repeatedly getting yanked into the same closet is my second favorite running joke in this fic


	13. moths to a flame

Johnny thinks he's going to end up with an RJ-shaped bruise from when they'd tackle-hugged him into this ground this morning, cuz his ribs still hurt. The rest of his friends had promptly followed suit, and he's sore as heck. It's lunch now, and he's sitting outside on the grass, waiting for the rest of the Jang and Max to arrive. Johnny idly tears up chunks of grass, turning them over in his hands. His mind wanders back to this morning and his face heats up again because God, that'd been embarrassing.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" He'd practically yelled as soon as he'd barged into the closet. "Why-" He cut off with a yelp as RJ gave him an extreme friendship hug, Stephen hot on their heels, and they'd all ended up in a pile on the ground.

"Dude!" Ollie exclaimed, lifting him up by his armpits. "You had us all worried? What's going on?" He squinted. "What happened to your face?"

"Tell ya as soon as you tell me!" Johnny gestured at the pile of papers RJ was holding. "What were you doin' with Max?"

"Oh, we were just collecting info to make sure he's a good match," Stephen said breezily as Ollie put Johnny back down on the floor.

"What? Why?" He felt his face heat up by about twenty degrees. Ollie put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Cuz you deserve only the best, bro," he intoned, and RJ nodded eagerly in agreement.

Johnny just spluttered, at a complete loss for words. "Gimme that!" He finally managed, reaching out to snatch the papers from RJ's grip. Stephen got there first.

"Hey, did you know his middle name's Tiffany?" He said, dancing out of reach.

"Stephen, seriously - oh, that's a nice name."

"Go long!" Stephen yelled, avoiding Johnny's grab and chucking the papers to Ollie, who caught it easily.

Ollie flipped through a couple sheets. "His favorite color's black, which is boring, but I guess it'd make a nice combo with pink. Oh, and-"

"Guys!" Johnny yelled, and promptly burst into flames.

His friends all stopped and stared.

"Uh," Ollie said eventually. "That's new."

Johnny took a deep breath and covered his face with one hand, concentrating on forcing the fire back down. It ebbed away eventually, and he dared a peek out between his fingers. His friends were still staring, mouths open. "This is what I wanted to tell ya," he said, quietly. "I got fire powers now."

Stephen said what at the same time RJ said how, their voices overlapping.

"Fire?" Ollie had a concerned look in his eyes. "Are you...are you okay with that? Since...y'know?" RJ and Stephen fell silent, and Johnny knew they were all thinking about what happened five years ago.

"No," he admitted, looking at the ground. "Not really. But I'm workin' on it."

"This happen this weekend?" Ollie asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Johnny ran his hands through his hair, words all coming out in a rush, tripping over each other. "I guess I like...sleepwalked or somethin' out to this house in the woods, and there was this weird guy with a doorknob for a face, an' I flipped an' burned t'house down, and-"

"Woah!" Stephen interjected, eyes wide. "You did that? Suzy was askin' everyone questions about it."

"Y'didn't tell her anything, right?" He asked a bit nervously, and Stephen shook his head, drawing a finger across his mouth and miming throwing away the key. "Good. Ugh." He looked down at the floor again, not really sure how to explain this. "Uh-"

"Wait, hold up a sec." Ollie held up a hand and leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "Dude, what's up with your teeth?"

"Oh." Johnny had practically forgotten about that. He bared them to the admiring gasps of his friends.

"That's so metal," RJ breathed, sounding jealous.

"Yeah, I guess." They're mostly an annoyance to Johnny, cuz he'd been accidentally biting his lips and mouth all weekend, and he had tiny little cuts everywhere. "Max says it's cuz of my spirit-"

"Your what?" Ollie interrupted, eyebrow raised, and Johnny groaned.

"I dunno how to explain this!" He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell ya what. I'll get Max to meet us durin' lunch and he can talk about it, 'kay? He's got powers too. Uh, different ones. Magnet powers?" He was starting to ramble, and he made himself shut up.

The bell rang, and they all looked up. Johnny frowned. They'd been in here all of first period?

"I gotta go," he'd blurted, and darted out the door.

He hadn't seen any of his friends since then. Johnny flops back on the grass with a groan, staring up at the wispy clouds floating sedately across the sky. Man, Max had better not stand him up. He needs him to demonstrate his magic bat. Max saying 'it's a date' floats unbidden back into his mind, and Johnny covers his hands with his face. He needs to stop thinking about that.

A shadow falls over him, and Johnny lifts one hand. It's Ollie. "Hey," Johnny says, sitting up. "Ya ditch on your job?"

"Store's closed today," Ollie grunts as he sits down next to him. "Lisa's home sick."

"Oh." Someone bounces off his back, and Johnny turns around to see RJ and Stephen engaged in a very vicious bout of arm wrestling.

"Hey, there's Max!" Stephen says, momentarily losing concentration, and RJ violently bends his arm to the side. "Ow." He rubs his arm, then points across the courtyard. "I'll go get him!"

Johnny watches Stephen pelt across the asphalt to Max, who freezes briefly before sprinting in the opposite direction. "Don't hurt him!" He calls, but it’s too late. Both Max and Stephen are on the ground now.

"You guys really gotta work on using your words," Max complains when Stephen ushers him back to the group. "How about 'hey, come join us?' for starters?"

"Tackling's funner," Stephen says, and Max rolls his eyes.

"Well, I'm here." He spreads his arms out. "What do you want me to say?"

"Show 'em your bat," Johnny says, decisively.

"Oh, are we going straight to that?" Max sounds a little surprised, but he pulls the bat out of his backpack anyway. Johnny just shrugs.

"They already saw me catch fire, so..."

"Geez, you really need to get that under control." Max hefts the bat, slapping it into his palm a few times experimentally. "Anybody got anything metal?" RJ passes over the studded bracelet they'd been wearing. "Sweet." Max tosses it to Johnny. "Go stand over there, would ya?"

Johnny grins a bit as he stands up. His friends are gonna love this. He backs away a couple of feet. "This good?"

"Go a little further!" Max calls. "Okay, that's good." He does a quick glance around to make sure nobody's watching, then holds the bat out. The bracelet jerks violently in Johnny's hands. He struggles to hold on to it, just to see if he can, but it rips itself away and flies towards Max, landing on the bat with a solid thwack.

"Sick!" Stephen snatches the bat away. "I wanna try." He waves it around, frowning when nothing happens.

"It's not gonna work for you." Max takes the bat back with a possessive glare. "It only works for spectrals."

"That's not fair!" Stephen complains, hands on his hips. "How come you guys get superpowers and we don't?"

Max just shrugs, peeling RJ's bracelet off the bat and handing it back to them before stuffing the tool back in his bag. "I still don't really know why I have them. Johnny's only got them 'cuz he got possessed by a spirit." He jerks a thumb at Johnny as he rejoins the group. "But hey." Max puts a hand on Stephen's shoulder. "If you eat enough citrus, maybe one day you'll be a spectral too."

"Really?" Stephen looks hopeful.

"You never know," Max deadpans.

Ollie's frowning, taking this all in. "You gotta start at the beginning. None of this is making any sense."

"Okay." Max flops to the ground and they all follow suite. "Um. Where do I start? Oh." He sits up straighter. "You can't tell anybody about this, okay? Especially not Spender, cuz he'll be super ticked off if he knows I told you. And doubly especially not Suzy, no matter how much she begs."

"Why not?" Stephen cuts in, and Ollie looks at him.

"Stephen, think about it. What do you think the government does to people who have superpowers?"

"Oh." Stephen's eyes go wide in horror. "I don't want 'em to take you away," he wails, and he and RJ each latch onto one of Johnny's arms protectively. Max is watching with a vaguely amused smile, and Johnny feels his face flush.

"Thanks, guys," he mutters, making no attempt to shake them off.

"So we all good on that part?" Max continues, and everyone nods. "Good. Um. So. The big thing is ghosts and spirits exist." His eyes fall on a small spirit with dozens of buzzing wings as it floats through their circle. Johnny watches it too, aware of his friends' curious looks.

"I knew it!" Stephen crows, letting go of Johnny's arm to punch the air. "What about aliens?" He's giving Max his best puppy-dog look.

"Uh, I don't think so-"

"Cryptids?"

"I'm...not sure?"

"So maybe."

"Uh. Why not?" Max looks at Johnny. "You tell 'em about seeing the shades?"

"Kinda," Johnny says, fully aware that he'd sounded like he was losing his mind at the time.

"That's how it starts." Max turns back to the group. "If you're a spectral, like us," he points between the two of them, "you see weird purple things at first. Then after a while they become, um, more real?"

"Uh-huh." Ollie's sounding skeptical. "How come we can't see these spirits?"

"Beats me." Max shrugs. "Like I said, I don't know why only certain people can be spectrals. I mean," he looks thoughtful, "I guess if you got possessed too you could see 'em."

"That's what happened to me," Johnny breaks in. "Y'know that night we were out in the woods, following those weirdos?" He shoots a look at Max. "No offense."

"None taken," Max says flatly.

"Anyway, that's what happened to me. Some spirit was floatin' around out there and decided it was gonna take over m'body," he says, sourly. "Now I got these fire powers that I don't want."

"How long's it gonna be in there?" Ollie looks concerned, and Johnny knows he's thinking about the many, many times he'd woken up in the middle of the night during sleepovers when they were younger screaming about the fire.

"Until it gets better, I guess." Max pulls out his bat again. "I don't know how long mine's been in here. Spirits just hole up in random things and people when they're hurt and don't leave until they're healed." He rubs the back of his neck. "Could take years, maybe," he says, and Johnny feels his stomach lurch, like he's just gone over the hill of a roller coaster.

He's gotta spend years with this thing inside him?

Max shoots a quick glance at him, and Johnny hopes he doesn't look as sick as he feels. "But maybe not," he adds hastily. "You never know."

"Man," Ollie rumbles, "if I hadn't seen Johnny catch on fire I'd say you were out of your gourd."

"Thanks," Max says dryly.

Ollie turns his attention to Johnny. "How come you didn't tell us about this before?" He sounds hurt.

"Sorry." Johnny focuses on ripping blades of grass in half. He can't meet his gaze. "I was just..." He pauses, fumbling. "I was- I was scared. I thought I was losin' it. And I didn't want you guys to worry."

"Johnny," Ollie says gently, "we're your friends. Worrying's part of the job description. We're always gonna support you, no matter what."

"Yeah!" RJ and Stephen say at the same time.

"Thanks, guys." Johnny finally looks up, face hot. Max's got a weird expression on his face. "What?" He asks defensively, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh, nothing." Max shrugs one shoulder. "I just think it's kinda cute how supportive you guys are of each other."

Johnny feels his face go even brighter red, and the rest of the Jang give him knowing looks. "Stuff it!" He hisses under his breath. God, he's gonna catch on fire again. Max just blinks, perplexed.

"Well," he says, getting to his feet, "if nobody has any questions...?" They all shake their heads. "Cool. I'm gonna go get some food, and I gotta go check on Ed. See if he got his nose back yet."

"What?" RJ asks, confused. 

Max doesn't respond to that. "Hey," he says, socking Johnny lightly in the shoulder. "I'll see you at morning patrol tomorrow, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Johnny says back, mouth suddenly dry. Stephen snickers behind him, and he whips around to give him a glare.

"Awesome. See ya." Max gives the Jang a little wave before heading back to the cafeteria.

"Dude, your face is so red right now!" Stephen laughs, and Johnny aims a kick at his shin. He dodges it easily. "Hey, when you two get married, can I be the flower boy?" RJ shoves him, shaking their head violently and pointing at themselves. "Fight ya for it." Stephen says back, smacking his fist down into his palm. "Two outta three?"

"You are being super obvious," Ollie observes, ignoring Stephen and RJ's ultimate rock-paper-scissors match. He's smiling too. "You on level four yet?"

"No!" Johnny practically yells. "I'm not! And I'm not obvious!"

"You totally are. He'd have to be dumber than a box of rocks to not notice. Well," Ollie amends, "maybe he is. 'Cuz I don't think he's caught on."

"Good!" He's yelling for real now, and he smells smoke. Johnny takes a deep, deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I don't want him to notice," he says, much quieter.

"Well, why not?" Ollie raises an eyebrow. Behind him, Stephen and RJ are on their fifth round. "Maybe he likes you back."

"Yeah, right." Johnny snorts. Ollie doesn't say anything, but he's got a calculating look in his eye that's making him nervous. "Hey, let's go eat," Johnny says quickly, scrambling to his feet. " 'm starvin'."

"Whoo!" Stephen exclaims suddenly. "I won! Hey, don't worry," he says to a scowling RJ, "we can split the job, alright?" RJ brightens up.

"Stop talkin' bout it!" Johnny groans in exasperation, and he runs to the cafeteria so he doesn't have to hear Stephen discussing the details of his future wedding.

Man, he loves his friends, but sometimes…they're just the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update is the jang setting up mayview's hottest new matchmaking service


	14. entr’acte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapter update today!

Forge is, to put it mildly, very angry. His plan is going up in smoke. He's lost contact with the Doorman, his host is aware of his presence, and the sunglasses spectral is growing suspicious. Forge remembers, shamefully, how he'd cowered when the man had looked at his host, as if he could see inside the boy. See _him_. To think such an ancient spirit as he would feel such fear galls him.

He hadn't been expecting the boy to lie.

"Your spirit," the sunglasses spectral had said. "Have you seen it? Do you know what it looks like?"

"No." The lie came easy to him, Forge could tell. "I don't know anythin'. But I meant what I said earlier. I don't want these powers." That last part had an emphasis that was directed inwards. Towards him. Once more, Forge feels the guilt that prickles at him, that he would lay such a heavy burden on a child.

"I see." The man's voice was flat. Dead. "Well, if you do...tell me. Please."

"Maybe," was all the boy said as he stood up and left. Forge could feel the uneasiness that was churning in his stomach.

Perhaps he can still salvage this. The sunglasses spectral may suspect him, yes, but he has no proof, and Forge knows from experience he cares for his children. He would never personally, intentionally, cause them physical harm.

All that remains is to find the Doorman once more. Forge still doesn't know what caused him to lose control over his host, and it enrages him. To think he had been so close to the angel, heard her voice...and then to have it all ripped away? Forge is a soldier. He is nothing without a master to serve.

Forge realizes his plan hinges on the fact that the Doorman still lives. If he had been in his original body, his flame would have melted the other spirit completely. But the boy is much weaker. Perhaps the Doorman is only injured, and is holed up somewhere, recuperating. Perhaps he should give it more time before continuing his search.

But time is something Mayview lacks. Forge thinks - knows - that by the end of this year, nothing in this town will ever be the same.

All Hallows’ Eve is approaching soon, he remembers. He'll resume his work then. It wasn't as though he'd had the opportunity to get his host out from under the watchful eye of his friend, anyway. The other spectral. There's something about that boy that makes Forge uneasy. What, he can't quite place, but it's enough to put a hollow point of dread in his chest.

Well, no matter. He's merely a child - what harm could he cause?

Forge finds he will later come to regret this thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey check out that foreshadowing


	15. bonfire night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapter update today! this is the second part!

The next two weeks settle into a routine pretty smoothly, and Max is actually pleasantly surprised. Johnny had fit into the club a lot better than he'd thought he would. Heck, Isabel had been positively stoked, which made both Spender and Max nervous, because whenever she and Johnny ended up on patrol together something usually got getting violently destroyed. Isaac's still kinda standoffish, but Max just chalks it up to him still being sore over his hangout getting incinerated. And Ed's just Ed.

They're all in the Club room right now, squished together on one couch, watching Spender struggle to push the whiteboard across the room.

"Just a- why isn't this moving? Oh." He unlocks the wheels with his foot, sheepish expression on his face. "Never mind!" He says brightly. "I got it." Spender proceeds to wheel it to the front of the room and uncap a marker with a dramatic flourish. Then he draws a large pumpkin in the center of the board.

"Oh, are we playing Pictionary?" Max deadpans, and both Isabel and Johnny snort. He's sitting in between them, so he gets a good rib-nudge from both directions. "Ow," he complains mildly.

"What - no!" Spender exclaims. "I mean, we can later, if you want to-"

"No, I'm good," Max cuts in hastily.

"Aw, I wanna play Pictionary," Ed says sadly from the other end of the couch.

"Yeah, me too," Isaac agrees. He's posing dramatically on an arm in an attempt to look cool, but Max can see him wobbling slightly and knows he's about to fall off.

"Yeah, Max, what do you have against Pictionary?" Great, now Isabel's joining in.

"Oh my God, okay!" He throws his hands up in exasperation. "We can play Pictionary!"

"Can I talk about the mission first?" Spender looks kinda wilted. That gets everyone's attention, and they all sit up a little straighter. There's a thud as Isaac finally loses his battle with gravity. His face pops up back over the couch arm a moment later, bright red. "Oh, good." He turns back to the board. "As I was saying-"

"You didn't say anything," Isabel and Johnny both say at the same time, and Spender sighs and presses his forehead to the whiteboard.

"Jinx!" Isabel yells. "Ha! I win!"

"Hey, no fair!"

"Children." Max places a hand on both of their shoulders, keeping his face blank. His cast is finally off, and he's reveling in it. "No fighting at the dinner table. Spender's trying to tell us something."

"Thank you, Max." Spender straightens up and draws a little pointy hat on the pumpkin. "now, can anybody tell me what's coming up soon?"

"All-you-can-eat Taco Tuesday in the cafeteria?" Ed offers.

"Besides that."

"Halloween!" Isaac blurts from his spot on the floor. He's given up trying to balance on the end of the couch and is now sitting cross-legged in front of it. "It's my favorite holiday. I've got my costume all ready and everything?"

Max raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little old for trick-or-treating?"

"You're never too old for trick-or-treating," Isaac sniffs.

"Ginger's right," Johnny adds, and Isaac narrows his eyes at him. Oh great, Max thinks. More bad blood between Activity Club members. "Me an' my boys always go out every year."

"Not this year." Spender says, and Max feels the temperature in the room shoot up by a couple degrees. Uh-oh. "You're needed on patrol."

"Okay," Johnny says way too easily, and Max is immediately suspicious. He shoots a look at Isabel and they make eye contact. Judging by her face, she's having the same thought.

"Excellent!" Spender remains completely oblivious. He writes HALLOWEEN on the board in big block letters. "Now," he continues, adjusting his sunglasses, "what's so special about Halloween?"

"Uh...y'get candy?"

"You can wear a cool costume?"

"Well, yes, and yes," Spender admits, pointing at Johnny and then Isaac. "But there's something else."

"It's when spirits are at their strongest." Isabel says loudly. She leans in towards Max. "He does this whole speech every year," she whispers.

"Wait, really?" Isaac twists around to look up at them, and she nods.

"Yep. That and also New Year's Eve. And uh, sometimes the winter solstice, but that's more for like, monsters and stuff than actual spirits.

"And all of them are stronger? Every single one?" Isaac's sounding nervous, and Max realizes he's probably thinking about King C. Man, that's a nasty spirit if he's ever met one. He doesn't blame Isaac for being uncomfortable. Max gives his bat a quick glance, resolving to stay out of the spirit world that night.

"Well, probably not all of them." Isabel gives him a reassuring smile, and Isaac nods, not looking entirely convinced. 

Spender clears his throat, and they all look at him. "That's exactly right. Halloween has a long association with association with otherworldly beings, and it's that belief that gives spirits their strength. Sort of like, um," he fumbles for a metaphor that will connect with the youth, "giving them all an energy drink. So we'll have to stay on our toes."

"Well, I can't," Max interrupts. "I'm supposed to take my sister trick-or-treating. And before you say it, no, somebody else can't take her. My dad has to watch the store."

"Um, well." Spender's floundering. "Why not just take her with on patrol?"

Max just stares at him. "Zoey may only be six, but she's not stupid," he points out. "She'll get suspicious." She'd already been watching him like a hawk since that whole incident with him and Johnny in the store.

"I'll admit I didn't think of that." Spender pinches the bridge of his nose. "Nobody else in the Club has siblings, so..." He trails off, thinking hard. Max feels Johnny flinch slightly next to him. "Okay, change of plans. You go with your sister and just keep an eye out in general, while everybody else goes on their assigned routes, all right?"

"What about you?" Isabel's looking at Spender levelly. Her arms are crossed. "Aren't you coming with?"

"I...no." He hesitates. "I have prior plans with a...friend."

"Mhm." Isabel scoffs a bit, and Max can see Ed looking at her in concern. The tension in the room is practically unbearable, and it's not helped by Johnny's whole walking furnace thing.

"So, what," he cuts in, incredulous, "you're just gonna leave us to deal with supercharged spirits with no adult supervision?"

"I have every confidence you'll do just fine. Besides," Spender adds, "if you run into any trouble, just call me. I'll be right there."

"We can handle it ourselves." Isabel looks away, and he deflates slightly.

"Yes, I'm sure you can." Spender gives them all a weak smile. "Now off you go. It's almost time for class. I'll let you all know patrol details the day of!" He calls after them as they all file out the room.

Isaac closes the door and looks at Isabel. "Who do you think his 'friend' is?"

"I dunno." She frowns. "Could be lots of people. That doctor lady, or Agent Day, or anyone from the Consortium."

"Could be his boyfriend," Isaac suggests, ears going red.

"Yeah, that too." Isabel sighs. "Whatever. I'm done with his secrets.”

Max is staring at Johnny suspiciously, half listening to the conversation behind him. "Okay, spill it," he demands. "What're you up to?"

"Me?" Johnny's doing his best to look innocent, and it fails, 'cuz Max knows he's never done anything innocent in his whole life. "I'm not up to anythin."

"You totally are, you liar. You agreed to Spender way too easily."

Johnny shrugs, giving him a sharp grin. "Splendid only said I had ta’ go on patrol. He didn't say anythin' 'bout them not comin' with me."

Isabel overhears that last part. "Oh no," she interrupts, pointing at him. "You are not bringing your little gang with. It's bad enough that they're always getting in the way at school. They can't even see spirits!"

"Yeah, but could you imagine if they could?" Max pipes up, thinking about how freakin' big Ollie's hands are, and RJ's penchant for tackling, and how Stephen's got a mean bite. "They'd pulverize those spirits."

"Oh, true." Isabel's wavering. "Fine," she says, giving Johnny a hard look. "But they better not mess anything up."

"No problemo." He gives her another shark-toothed smile.

"Oh, is RJ coming?" Ed sounds excited. "What?" He asks defensively when everyone in the group gives him an odd look. "I'm just wondering."

"Yeah, they're all comin'." Johnny slings an arm around Max's shoulder, and for once he doesn't protest. He tells himself it's just because it's kinda cold in the hallway. "We'll meet ya at your place at uh...seven? Sound good?"

"Yeah, but why my house?"

"It's the easiest to find," Isabel supplies, and Max can't argue with that.

"Okay, fine."

"Awesome," Johnny says, and they all split off in separate directions for class.

Halloween rolls around a few days later. Max had been surprised to find out that the middle school didn't allow costumes, which totally flew in the face of how weird this town was. But otherwise, it was pretty much okay with him. He doesn't do that kinda thing.

"Zoey, you almost ready?" He yells up the stairs, checking the time on his phone. It's 6:57. Everyone else should be here soon, Max thinks, glancing out the windows of the store. The sun's just starting to set outside.

"I'm ready!" His sister announces, appearing at the top of the steps. She stops and stares at Max. "Where's your costume?"

"Uh, I'm wearing it?" He gestures at his shirt, which has the word COSTUME emblazoned across the front of it in big white block letters.

"Max." Zoey sounds incredibly disappointed in him. "That's lame."

"He's dressed up as a cynical teenager this year," his dad says as an aside to her from behind the counter. "I think it's pretty good."

"Why's everyone ganging up on me?" Max glares at them. "I'm too old to go trick-or-treating, anyway."

"But not too old to try and eat all my candy," Zoey points out, and Max doesn't have a comeback for that. She skips down the stairs and does a little twirl, her fairy wings sprinkling glitter all over the floor. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely perfect, My Princess." His dad does a little bow, and she giggles. He looks up at Max. "You know the rules, right, bud? Be back by nine, don't talk to strangers, don't follow any glowing balls of light into the woods?"

"I don't think the last one's going to be a problem," Max says dryly, but resolves to ask Isabel about will-o-wisps anyway. "But yeah. I got it."

The automatic doors whoosh open behind him, and the rest of the Club and the Jang pile into the store. Zoey tugs on Max's shirt 'til he bends down. "I don't think I need that many chaperones," she whispers into his ear.

"Yeah, they all wanted to come. They just can't stay away from you," Max teases, straightening back up, and Zoey snorts.

"More like they can't stay away from _you._ "

His response to that is interrupted by Isabel jangling over noisily. "Wow, you're very...shiny," Max says, shielding his eyes with his hands. "Is that real metal?"

"Yep!" She does a dramatic spin, cape billowing out around her. "And _this_ is a real sword." Isabel gives him a sharp grin.

"Impressive." The effect is only slightly ruined by the umbrella she's got strapped to her back.

Isabel bends down to Zoey. "Woah, are you a fairy princess?" She asks, and Zoey nods shyly. "Awesome!" Isabel lays a hand over her heart. "I promise to be your knight in shining armor, so you don't have to worry about any goblins or ghosts or other scary stuff, 'kay?"

"I'm not scared of that stuff," Zoey interjects, ready to throw Max under the bus. "He is!"

"Thank you very much, sweet sister of mine," Max deadpans, and wanders away before she can do any more emotional damage. Isaac and Ed are standing by the door, deep in discussion about which routes score you the best candy haul. Ed's wearing an orange jumpsuit and what looks like a monkey tail, and Max vaguely recognizes the character. Uh. Curious George? No, that's not it. He's got no clue about Isaac, who's wearing an eye patch and has apparently dyed his hair blue.

"Hey guys," he says, sidling up. "Looking good."

Isaac colors a bit. "You think so?"

"Yeah." Max gives him a once-over. "You're looking very, um..." he struggles for a word. "Protagonisty?" He offers, and Isaac lights up. Max looks around suspiciously. "Hey, where's-"

He cuts off with a strangled yelp as a lasso falls over his torso and yanks him backwards. Ed and Isaac make a grab for him but miss, and he ends up flat on his back on the floor. "Thank you, Wonder Woman," he sighs, looking up at RJ attached to the other end of the lasso. Johnny appears in his line of vision, wearing what looks like a kind of space armor and with at least three different toy blasters strapped to him. "What are you supposed to be?" Max asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Captain Ace, duh," Johnny says proudly. "Geez, ain't you ever played Deep Space Zombie Blaster?"

"Can't say I have." Max sits up and struggles to disentangle himself from the lasso.

"Here, lemme-" Johnny moves forward to help.

"No, I got it-" Their hands meet briefly and Johnny jerks back like he's been stung. Max gives him a weird look but doesn't question it. He finally escapes from the lasso and hands it back to RJ, who coils it up and puts it on their belt. He still doesn't see Ollie and Stephen, which means they're probably in the back of the store somewhere causing trouble. Oh, wait, there's Stephen. He's wearing a suit and sunglasses, and Max watches as he walks directly into a fixture full of candy.

"Ow," he says distantly.

"Stephen, that's like the sixth time that's happened today," Ollie says in exasperation, emerging from the aisle behind him. "Maybe ditch the sunglasses."

"No, I need them for my aesthetic!" Stephen's hands go flying to his face, like he's scared someone's going to try and take the glasses from him. Ollie just sighs.

"Alright, but at least hold someone's hand when we're outside."

"Hey, where's yer costume?" Johnny's recovered from whatever happened earlier and is staring at him, frowning.

"I don't do costumes," Max says with a shrug. Why does everyone keep asking him that?

"Dude." Johnny shakes his head. "It's Halloween. Y'gotta lighten up.”

“Hey, Ollie’s not wearing a costume either!” Max protests, gesturing at him.

“He’s a bouncer,” Johnny says.

“I’m a bouncer,” Ollie says, glowering.

Max blinks. “Isn’t that just your job?”

“Is that any of your business?” He starts looming, and Max holds his hands up in surrender. 

“Nope!” He squeaks out, very meekly.

“Hold that thought." Johnny cuts in. He smacks Max’s shoulder and Max watches in horror as he makes a beeline towards the aisle where they keep all their holiday stuff.

"Johnny-" Max starts in desperation. Oh God, now he's picking something up. "Johnny, seriously-" Oh God, now he's going up to the counter and his dad is saying something, looking over at Max with a grin. "You're the worst," he grumbles as Johnny returns and slaps a pair of sparkly cat ears on over his hat.

"Hey, if y'don't want 'em you can just put 'em back." He points a thumb over his shoulder at the counter. "Your dad said I could have 'em for free."

Max lets out a long, slow puff of air. "No, it's good," he says finally. Maybe he should at least try and join in on the holiday spirit.

"Good, 'cuz it's kinda cute." Johnny freezes, face going beet-red. "Uh, the costume, I mean. Not you. No, wait-"

Max blinks, perplexed. "Thanks," he says, dryly. "I always love to be insulted."

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I'm just messing with you, man," Max laughs. "Oh, I gotta go find my sister. Be right back."

He finds Zoey deep in conversation with their father about whether the left or right Twix is better. "It's the right!" She exclaims, passionately.

"No, it's the left, 'cuz that's the side your heart's on." His dad places a hand on his chest and sighs dreamily.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Zoey complains.

His dad shoots him a wink. "What do you think, bud?"

"I think I eat them both at the same time so I can't really say whether I have an opinion or not." Max switches his attention to Zoey. "Okay, ready to go?"

"Yeah!" She skips off towards the front of the store, leaving a trail of glitter behind.

"Alright, everyone clear out!" Max says loudly. "You're scaring away the customers!"

"Have fun!" His dad calls after them as they all troop out, waving exuberantly. "Be safe!"

Max and Zoey wave back as the doors slide shut. It's fully dark by now, and he can see other kids milling about under the lampposts, vague shapes slipping in and out of the light. The air is clean and cold, and he takes a deep breath. It smells like mulch. The trees are still stubbornly clinging to their leaves, but there's enough of them on the ground to make a satisfying crunch underfoot.

And there's spirits, everywhere. Max doesn't think he's ever seen so many out at one time. They light up the sky, they leave glowing footprints on the pavement and the street as they pass through the crowds of people, they scream and they shout and they fill the air with shrieks of laughter, the sounds swirling together until Max can't tell whether they come from human throats or not. "Woah," he says, very quietly.

"I know, right?" Isabel's standing next to him, tracing a bat-like spirit's see-sawing path through the sky with her eyes. "I love this time of year."

"I can see why." He hears a loud crinkling and looks over to see Isabel unfurling a large map she'd pulled from...somewhere. Isaac and Ed are looking over her shoulder, and he follows suit.

"Okay, so." Isabel gives the map a little bit of a shake. "Spender said there's a couple different places we have to scope out. There's the haunted house," she points at a spot on the map, "then the hayride," her finger slides over, making a rustling noise, "and then there's apple bobbing or something going on down by the lake."

"Why those spots in particular?" Isaac's squinting at the map, and Max wonders if he can actually see anything with that eye patch on.

"Something about high concentrations of people providing an energy source for grudges, or whatever." She supplies the air quotes. "Also, some spirits can actually interact with regular people on Halloween, so we gotta keep an eye out for that too."

"Isabel." Max says with a pointed look at Zoey. She's looking between the four of them with suspicion written all over her face.

"Uh, I mean," Isabel hastily stuffs the map back under her cloak, "we were just, uh...practicing lines for a play?"

"Right," Zoey says, clearly not buying it, and Max mouths 'really?' at Isabel.

"It was all I could come up with!" She hisses back. "Thanks for helping me out!"

"Hey, you're the leader." He just shrugs.

"Right," Isabel repeats, faintly, before clearing her throat. "Okay, gang. We gotta split up. Who wants what?" Ollie leans over and whispers something in her ear, and Isabel's face splits into a slow, wide grin that immediately makes Max more suspicious than he's ever been in his entire life. "Oh no," she says, very dramatically, pointing vaguely to a spot over Max's shoulder. "There's something over there we all have to check out except for Max and Johnny."

Max turns around to look in the direction she's pointing. All he sees is two little kids with bedsheets thrown over them to make them look like ghosts walking up the sidewalk. "There's nothing there?" He has no idea what's going on.

"Oh, there definitely is. And we gotta go, right now."

"Hey!" Max protests, putting his hands on his hips. "You can't just usurp, uh, chaperone-ship of my own little sister!"

Isabel proceeds to bend down and whisper something in Zoey's ear, and now she's giving him that same creepy grin. "I wanna go with Isabel," she announces. "She's more fun than you, Max."

"Wow, alright," Max grumbles, feeling a little bit hurt.

"Max." Isabel claps a hand on his shoulder and he leans away. Her eyes flicker upwards and he can see her mouth twitch as she suppresses a laugh, and he scowls at her. "Nice ears." She makes herself look serious again. "You and Johnny are on the haunted house. We'll split up and check out the other places after we deal with this, uh, thing."

"I don't think there actually is a 'thing'," Max replies, sourly. "But fine." He sighs, relenting. "We'll do it. But you better have Zoey back here by nine."

"You got it." Isabel gives him a thumbs up.

"And you better not let anything happen to her!" He yells at her back as she takes Zoey's hand and starts walking away. Everyone else follows them, and he can see Isaac and Ed asking her questions, looking just as confused as Max feels. Isabel says something he can't make out, and they both glance back at him. Wait, why is Isaac blushing? Finally, they disappear around a corner, leaving him and Johnny alone outside the store.

"I have no idea what just happened," Max says plaintively. He glances over at Johnny, who's been weirdly quiet during this whole exchange. He's kinda frozen in a stance that reminds Max of when a cat gets startled. "Uh, you good?"

Johnny jumps a bit. "Uh, yeah. Um. What're we doing?"

"Wow, you really were spaced out." Max lifts an eyebrow. "We got stuck with the haunted house." He frowns as a thought occurs to him. "I don't even know where that is." He tries to recall its spot on the map, but it's not happening.

"It's over at Mayview Academy," Johnny replies almost immediately.

"Oh, great." His other eyebrow joins the first. "Am I gonna have to keep you from trying to fight everyone you see?"

"Uh..." Johnny looks away. Max can see that his ears are red in the light coming through the store's windows. "I think I can manage t'not."

"That'll be the day." Max snorts, and it gives way to genuine laughter at the thought of Johnny of all people being well-behaved. "Well, lead the way," he says, bumping Johnny's shoulder with his own, the heat lingering after he pulls away.

"It's a kinda long walk. Y'okay with that?"

"Yeah, why not." Max shrugs again. "It's a nice night."

They walk in silence for a bit. Johnny's busy sending an impressively long and apparently very angry text, judging by how aggressively he's pounding on the keyboard. Max occupies himself looking around at their surroundings. They pass a row of jack-o-lanterns arrange neatly in someone's yard, candlelight flickering out between their gaptoothed smiles. One of the pumpkins winks at him, and Max shudders, speeding up. He doesn't need to add 'vegetable' to his list of things that have flirted with him. Actually, wait, are pumpkins even vegetables?

He's pulled out of his thoughts by Johnny saying something, and he turns to him with a frown. "Sorry, what? I missed that."

"I said," Johnny's not quite looking at him, "you really like your sister a lot, huh?"

"Uh." Max rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, we fight and stuff, but she's still my sister, y'know?"

"Yeah." Johnny's quiet for a bit. He's jumping over the cracks in the sidewalk. "My sister used t'be my best friend. She was always followin' me around and stuff." He skips over another one. "I taught her how t'fight and everything. She'd be almost nine now." Johnny comes down hard on a particularly big crack and stops, staring off into the distance.

Break your mother's back, Max thinks, remembering the old playground rhyme.

"I miss her," he says, so quietly Max almost doesn't hear it.

"You really haven't seen her in five years?" Max asks, and then winces. Wow, way to be insensitive, Puckett.

Johnny just shakes his head. "I dunno where my mom ended up. So I can't even write or anythin'." He angrily kicks a pile of leaves lying on the sidewalk, and little bits of dirt and decomposed plant matter fly up into their faces. Max takes a leaf directly to the eye and he flinches, rubbing at it. "Sorry," Johnny mutters.

"It's cool." Max says, because he doesn’t know what else he possibly could. He thinks about how he’d feel if he never saw Zoey ever again, and his stomach tightens up 'til it hurts.

The rest of the walk is almost painfully awkward. They finally, mercifully, pull up at Mayview Academy, and Max can't help but whistle in appreciation. "Dang." The school's all white stone and graceful architecture, and it's tricked out to the nines for the occasion. Max can hear distant screams and bursts of laughter drifting out from inside the building.

"Yeah, it's fancy." Johnny's got his hands on his hips and he's glaring at the building. "I hate it."

"Easy there, Cujo," Max deadpans, putting his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "What did we say about being good?"

"I ain’t makin' any promises," Johnny declares, and Max sighs.

"Good enough, I guess." He gives his shoulder a pat. "Hey," he says, a thought coming to him, "don't we have to pay for this?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, giving him a sharp grin, "but I know how t'sneak in. Me an' the boys do it every year."

Max waffles for a bit. This is part of the mission after all, and it is important that they be on the lookout for dangerous spirits, but...geez, why hadn't Spender given them any cash for this? "Okay," he says eventually, deciding one mildly illegal thing wouldn't hurt, "but I want it on record I'm only doing this ‘cuz you're a bad influence."

"Awesome." Johnny's grin gets even wider, and he grabs Max's hand and pulls him towards the side of the school. "This is the entrance all the volunteers use an' stuff," he explains as they go through an open door and wade through a small crowd of costumed people. They get a couple looks, but nobody makes any move to stop them. Someone brushes past Max, and he glances behind him, getting a glimpse of a tall girl with red hair, and he frowns. Why does she look vaguely familiar?

"Hey, watch where you're going, kid," a werewolf growls as Max bumps off them.

"Sorry," he mutters, pulling his hat down lower and scurrying after Johnny. They eventually emerge into a long hallway and make their way to the end of a line of people milling around an elevator. It's got HELLEVATOR painted above it in bright red, drippy letters.

"Tasteful," Max remarks.

"It starts down in the basement an' goes all the way up to the third floor." Johnny's bouncing on his toes a bit, apparently excited about the prospect of being scared to death. Max is more reluctant. Sure, the last time he'd been in a haunted house he'd cried, but he'd been a little kid, and he's been through so much weird stuff lately that a couple of plastic skeletons and people in costumes won't scare him. Probably. Hopefully.

"Hey, babies!" An older teenager in front of them turns around, leering. "You guys holding hands 'cuz you're scared already?"

"Oh, lay off the kid," one of his friends says. Max looks down at his hand, surprised that Johnny's still holding on and even more surprised that he hadn't noticed. He can see Johnny coming to the same conclusion, and they both yank their hands away from each other at lightning speed.

"I ain't scared of nothin'!" Johnny snarls, immediately dropping into fight mode. "You take that back!"

"Woah, easy!" Max dives in between the two of them before Johnny can start throwing hands. "Dude!" He hisses in his ear. "Those guys are like twice the size of us! Just leave it!"

"Don't care," Johnny mutters, giving the group of teenagers a baleful glare as they disappear into the elevator. The one who'd teased them is laughing, and Max is grateful when the elevator doors ding shut and cut off the sound. Johnny still looks tense, heat roiling off him, and Max sighs and gives him a nudge in the ribs.

"Hey, we're here on a mission, remember? Forget them. They're just jerks, anyway."

The elevator dings back open.

"So what're we lookin' for anyway?" Johnny asks as they get on. Max brushes aside a curtain of cobwebs, spluttering a bit when some of it gets in his mouth.

"Anything out of the ordinary, I guess," he starts, then pauses. "Well, even more than usual for Mayview. Spirits attacking people or grudges or - oh, Jesus!" The elevator starts shaking violently and Max makes a grab for the cobwebs in desperate search of support. They pull away from the ceiling easily, and he ends up falling backwards on his butt. "Ow," he says, and Johnny snickers.

"We haven't even started yet an' you're already gettin' scared?"

"Okay, well, technically," Max says defensively, trying to shake the cobwebs off his hands, "I think since this thing is called, y'know, the Hellevator, it counts as part of the haunted house." Those stupid webs won't come off. Max just settles for wiping them on his pants.

"If y'say so." Johnny helps him to his feet as the elevator settles to a stop. The doors slide open, and a blast of cold air slaps him in the face. Max shivers and zips up his jacket. He can see his breath pluming in the air.

"Geez, what'd they do down here, turn the heat off?" He complains as they step out, shoving his hands into his pockets. The basement of the academy spreads out in front of them, dark and vaguely foreboding, and Max hears a distant scream.

"Oh, is it cold?" Johnny sounds like he genuinely hasn't noticed. Probably didn't, Max thinks, narrowing his eyes at him. Perks of having a fire spirit. For some reason, the fact that Johnny's breath isn't freezing is seriously weirding him out.

"It's freezing!" Max gives him a sideways look. Ah, what the heck. He takes a step closer, bumping up against him.

"Okay, you're like seriously in my personal space right now," Johnny says, sounding nervous.

"I'm cold and you're hot." Max shrugs lightly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Just let me leech off your body heat for this part of the house, okay?."

"Uh...okay?" Johnny's voice kinda cracks towards the end of the word, and he clears his throat abruptly. "Let's quit standin' around then!" He darts off into the darkness.

"Hey, wait up!" Max pulls his bat out of his backpack and makes sure he has a firm grip in it before chasing after him, just in case. He then proceeds to run directly into more cobwebs. "Why," he deadpans, flinging them out of his face. Johnny's standing just in front of him, frowning.

"Weird," he mutters. "Usually at least one or two people woulda popped out by now to try and scare us."

Max glances around, squinting in the dark. The basement's deserted, and an uneasy feeling creeps into his stomach.

"Excuse me," a deep voice sounds from behind him, and Max whirls around with a shriek, grabbing on to Johnny. He screams too, fumbling towards one of the blasters hanging off his belt.

A tall, spindly thing steps towards them. At first Max thinks, wildly, that it's the Doorman, but no- his eyes flick upwards. It doesn't have a head. Definitely a spirit, then. Unless it's just a very clever costume? "I am sorry." The spirit/volunteer holds up their hands. "I didn't mean to startle you, young spectrals."

Oh. Yep, that's a spirit. Max tightens his grip on the bat, knuckles white.

"What do y'want?" Johnny blusters, pointing the blaster at the spirit.

"Have you by any chance seen my head?"

"Uh." Max blinks. How is this guy even talking? "What does it look like? Hey, wait a minute." He narrows his eyes. "Don't tell me you're supposed to be the headless horseman?"

"Oh no, no, no," the spirit says, doing a weird, jerky movement that Max guesses would be them shaking their head if they actually had one.

"Oh-"

"I am the Headless Horseman!" The spirit throws their arms out dramatically, and the sound of a horse whinnying fills the air.

"I just said that!" Max protests.

"Y'gotta put more emphasis on it," Johnny tells him. "See, like this. Headless Horseman." The whinnying rings out again, and Max twists to look behind him. Is there a horse in here?

"We haven't seen any heads or uh, head-like objects," he cuts in, desperate to get out of this conversation. He has to half-yell to be heard over all the equine sound effects.

"More's the pity." The Horseman sighs...somehow...and turns to go, then stops and looks back at them. "A warning for you, children. There is evil afoot."

"What, here?" Max glances around nervously. Did something attack all the volunteers? Is that why it's so empty down here? There's no reply from the Horseman, and he turns back to see they've gone. "I don't know why I expected a straight answer," he mutters. He looks at Johnny, then at the blaster he's still holding. "Dude."

"What?"

"You have fire powers." Max points at the toy. "What were you gonna do with that, nerf 'em?"

"I might've! I didn't see you usin' your bat neither!"

"Okay, fair point," Max concedes. A low, eerie noise echoes through the basement suddenly, and Max's heart stutters. He and Johnny look at each other. "Should we-"

"Yeah," Johnny says, looking just as nervous as Max feels, and they both sprint towards the exit that'll take them up to the next level. Or at least, where he thinks the exit is. He's just following Johnny, 'cuz he's been here before, and Max really hopes he knows where he's going.

Turns out he does, and they take the stairs two and three at a time before bursting out into the first floor hallway, panting. It's brighter up here, and a lot warmer. Someone dressed as a clown holding a large knife lunges out at them from a nearby locker and Max screams, kicking the door back into their face.

"Ow!" The clown says, hand going to their red rubber ball nose.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Max backs away, hands in the air, completely mortified. "I'm just gonna...um...let's go," he hisses to Johnny, speed-walking down the hall.

"Jumpy much?" He teases, and Max glares at him.

"I think I've got reasons to be. You heard the Headless Horseman-" he waits for the whinnying to stop "-there's something evil 'afoot'."

"Wonder if that means there's a nasty spirit or somethin' lurkin' around here." Johnny casually ducks an axe that comes swinging down from the ceiling. Max isn't so lucky, and the foam weapon nails him right in the face.

"I sure hope not," he grumbles, re-situating his hat and the cat ears. "I've already had enough of this place.'

"Aw, it's not so bad," Johnny says, reassuringly. He doesn't even so much as flinch when a Frankenstein jumps out at them.

"Yeah, 'cuz you've been here a buncha times before," Max says from where he's ducked behind his teammate for safety.

"Well - maybe." Johnny admits. "But it's not like this is scarier than what we're usually doin', y'know?"

Max just hums doubtfully. They make it to the third floor largely unscathed and without seeing any more spirits, although Max's scream counter had ticked up into the double digits. He thinks one of them shouldn't count because that vampire was _really_ scary, okay, and Johnny says it should be worth extra points 'cuz it was only a wax model.

"I'm starting to think the H-" he catches himself just in time "-uh, spirit - was just messing with us," Max says when they're standing in front of the elevator that'll take them back down to the first floor. "I haven't seen anything 'evil', he supplies air quotes, "except maybe for that guy who was just eating that onion like an apple."

"Yeah, I wanted t'fight something," Johnny says dejectedly as the elevator dings open and they enter.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Max manages to keep a completely straight face. He watches the floor lights blink as the elevator heads down.

"Man, I think I'm gonna go deaf from you screamin' in my ear all night," Johnny complains mildly, and Max elbows him.

"Shut up!" He feels his face flush. "It's a perfectly reasonable response!"

"I'm just sayin'," Johnny continues, skipping out of reach when Max goes in for another blow, "you can be pretty clingy for someone who doesn't like bein' touched a lot."

Max fumbles for an answer. "Well - I just-"

He's cut off by an awful screeching sound as the elevator grinds to a half between the first and second floors and the lights turn off.

"What just happened?" He asks nervously, feeling super claustrophobic in the pitch black darkness.

"I dunno." Johnny sounds unsure. "Technological issues?"

The elevator suddenly lurches violently to one side and Max yelps. "Somehow I don't think this is part of the haunted house!" It tips in the other direction, making him stumble forward. "God, I wish we could see what's going on." He squints in the direction he thinks Johnny is. "You got a flashlight on your phone?"

"No." There's a long pause. "I can...I can use my powers," he says, very quietly, voice tight.

"Are you-" The elevator shakes again, and Max bounces off something warm. Oh. That's where Johnny is. "Are you sure? I mean - you haven't used them since that time in the woods." Max knows Isabel's been trying to teach him how to do a spec-shot, but Johnny just prefers to use his bare fists. He doesn't use his spirit's fire powers, ever.

"Yeah. No! I don't know!" He sounds like he's close to crying. "What else do you wanna do!"

"Hey." Max reaches out blindly in the dark, bumping his hand against Johnny's. He doesn't pull away, so Max takes it, very gently. "You got this, okay? I believe in you."

He hears Johnny take in a breath. "Thanks," he says softly, and Max almost misses it. The shaking increases, and they both fall back against the wall.

"Um, not to rush you or anything," Max says with increasing agitation, "but now would be a great time to do something."

"I'm workin' on it!" Max can feel Johnny's hand trembling a bit in his own. There's a sound like a match being lit, and a tiny flame appears in his upturned palm, just barely enough to illuminate his face. Johnny's got his eyes screwed shut, and he's biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed.

"You good?" Max asks, and he nods quickly. The flame grows a bit, shadows flickering on the floor of the elevator, and they both look up.

For a moment Max is tempted to snuff out the flame just so he doesn't have to look at the thing he's seeing.

The roof of the elevator is ripped off, and horrible spider-like creature is looking back down at them, its cluster of eyes gleaming in the firelight. It lets out an awful chittering sound, reaching one massive, spiky leg towards them.

"Nope!" Max yanks Johnny away from the leg. God, why did it have to be a bug? That's not fair! It doesn't need to be that big! He lets go of Johnny and grabs his bat, smashing it into another leg coming in their direction. The spider just screams angrily, shaking the elevator again.

"I think y'made it mad," Johnny says, helpfully. A leg comes whistling towards him, and he jumps aside, flame threatening to go out.

"You think!" Max yells, throwing himself flat against the floor. How on earth were you supposed to fight something like this? Jesus, he wishes Isabel was here. Heck, he'd even take Spender at this point. He rolls over, dodging yet another leg. Max lets off a spec-shot, but the spider's too fast. The shot goes flying away into the elevator shaft. "Well, that didn't work," he grumbles, desperately fumbling around in his bag for something to magnetize.

His fingers close around something, and he uses the bat to fling it at the spider. It just bounces off harmlessly. "Well, that didn't work either!" He's panicking now. Max glances over at Johnny, and seeing the fire gives him an idea. He'd touched something paper in his backpack, hadn't he?

Max dives back in and pulls out tomorrow's homework assignment. He pauses for a moment to heave a heavy sigh of mourning. He's definitely gonna get a zero on that. "Hey!" Max calls, crumpling the papers up into a ball and tossing it to Johnny. "Light that up!"

"You got an idea?" The papers ignite as soon as Johnny snatches them out of the air.

Max is eyeing the thick carpet of cobwebs strung along the top of the elevator like the world's worst Christmas decorations. He can see strands of the stuff crisscrossing the spider's body. "I think so." He jumps to his feet and gets into a batting position, swallowing nervously. He's gotta get this just right. "Alright, throw it at me!"

"Batter up!" Johnny yells, and chucks the flaming ball of paper at Max as hard as he can. Max swings the bat, as hard as _he_ can, and holds his breath as he watches it go flying towards the spider.

"C'mon, c'mon," he mutters anxiously. This is pretty much their only shot.

The ball hits the cobwebs and the whole nest goes up in flames, spider and all. It lets out a horrid, rattling screech, legs twitching frantically as it tries to put out the fire, and for a moment Max feels bad. Then he imagines actually being impaled by one of those legs, and the feeling's gone.

"Woah, watch out!" Johnny blurts from behind him, tackling him to the ground as bits of flaming cobweb and spider come raining down. The spirit tips forward until it's mostly in the elevator, and Max watches it carefully. Is it dead?

Then he feels something touch him, on the inside. In his brain. It's cold, and it feels the way the way mold smells, and Max can't help but cry out. It feels like there's a tentacle, or a worm, crawling around in his skull. Then the thing withdraws rapidly, like it's recoiling, and Max sees a misty shape go flying upwards towards the hole in the roof. It's the spider spirit, he realizes. The body's gone.

"Don't-" He croaks, pointing at it. Johnny whirls around, ready to stop it, but it fades away instead. Must've been too weak to keep going, Max thinks. Lucky it didn't tool up. He sighs and lets his head fall back against the floor.

"You okay?" Johnny's looking at him all concerned.

"Yeah," Max says. "I think so." He gives him a little half-smile. "Thanks for using your body as a shield, I guess? Very chivalrous of you."

Johnny scrambles to his feet, face going red. "Well - y'know - I'm fireproof," he mutters, not looking at Max. "You're not."

"Can't argue with that." Max stands up, suppressing a groan. God, he's gonna be so sore tomorrow. The elevator lurches again and his heart leaps back up into his throat. What now? Is there another one of those things? Is-

Then it dings and the doors slide open to reveal a very surprised-looking custodian.

"Um," Max says, taking in the now very destroyed elevator. She wouldn't be able to see any spiritual residue, but she'd sure be able to see the big freakin' hole in the roof. "The elevator broke. Might wanna look into that." He gives her his most winning smile before power-walking away. "Let's get out of here before anyone pins that on us," he hisses into Johnny's ear, and he nods.

Max keeps up a stony face as he weaves through the crowd of people hanging around by the exit. There's a lot more older teenagers and adults out now, and he hopes the school can get the elevator running again. Don't want to ruin anyone else's fun.

"Geez!" Max complains once they're outside, the fresh air hitting his face like a gift sent straight from heaven. "That was way too close." His phone's blowing up with texts now that they're out of the dead zone of the school. He pulls it out of his pocket, making sure to check the time first. It's 8:47. "Uh oh," he says worriedly with a glance at Johnny. "Better hustle."

"What, yer dad gonna ground you if you're not back on time?" Johnny's teasing, but he dutifully hustles anyway.

"Nah, my dad doesn't really do punishments." Max absently opens up his unread texts. Geez, what had everybody else been up to? "He just gives you this look and tells you he's disappointed in you. It's soul-crushing."

"Oh." There's something in Johnny's voice that Max can't quite place, mostly because he's busy scrolling through about fifty dozen messages. The most recent one's from Isabel, about fifteen minutes ago.

**> isabel (8:33):** hey how's the haunted house ;)

Max just wrinkles his nose. Why the heck is she sending him a winky face?

**> max (8:50):** not great  
**> max (8:50):** we got attacked by a big spider with a nasty attitude  
**> max (8:51):** whats with that face????????

She responds almost immediately.

**> isabel (8:51):** whaaaaat you guys got to fight a spirit i'm jealous  
**> isabel (8:52):** i've been at the lake all night it's like dead here  
**> max (8:52):** well if id known there was going to be a GIANT FLIPPING SPIDER i would’ve switched spots with u  
**> isabel (8:53):** well you beat it right??? are you guys ok??

He pauses to do a mental once-over. He's a little sore, but nothing's broken, and he's only slightly mentally scarred, so all in all he's coming out of this mission in better shape than usual. Max does the same to Johnny, looking him up and down.

"What?" Johnny demands, noticing him staring.

"Just checking in with Isabel." Max lifts his phone. "She wants to know if we're okay."

" 'm fine!" He says belligerently, and Max wonder what's got him all riled up.

"How about, y'know..." Max pauses, "...you know?"

"Don't go all shrink on me again," Johnny says, and Max snorts.

"Dude, if you want me to do that, you're gonna have to start paying me." He turns his attention back to his phone, following Johnny mostly by the trail of heat he gives off.

**> isabel (8:56):** max????  
**> max (8:56):** yeah were good  
**> max (8:57):** how bout u guys  
**> isabel (8:57):** well none of us had any run ins with spirits but  
**> isabel (8:58):** ed says he and rj got kicked off the hayride bc they started a fight bc someone insulted their costume  
**> isabel (8:59):** also stephen pushed isaac into the lake so he electrocuted him  
**> isabel (8:59):** he's fine don't worry  
**> isabel (9:00):** also OH dude did you know your sister is like the apple bobbing champion?? she won the contest

Max smiles a bit at that.

**> isabel (9:01):** i dropped her off back at your place like 20 minutes ago  
**> max (9:01):** oh thx  
**> max (9:02):** u all go back home or what??  
**> isabel (9:02):** yeah, see you at school tomorrow!!  
**> isabel (9:03):** also tell johnny i say hi ;)  
**> max (9:04):** seriously WHAT is with that face

Isabel doesn't respond. Max lets out a small oof as he bounces off Johnny, who's stopped walking. "Wha-oh." He squints up at the familiar neon sign of the store. He can see his dad at the counter through the glass front, handing over change to a late-night customer. "We're back already?"

"Yeah, and you were super zoned out the whole time." Johnny reaches out and flips Max's phone shut. "You're lucky I'm here, else ya probably woulda got run over by a car or somethin'."

"Cheerful," Max says dryly, putting his phone away. "Guess that makes you my guardian angel or something."

He watches as Johnny goes several different shades of red but decides not to comment on it.

"Oh, hey." Max is suddenly serious. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?" Johnny's sounding kinda nervous.

"When you, um." He hesitates. "When you got possessed, did you like...feel anything?"

"I...don't think so?" He's looking at him weird. "Why do ya ask?"

"Well-" Max rubs the back of his neck, not making eye contact. "That spider spirit. I think it, like, tried to possess me?" He remembers the feeling of something cold and slimy poking around in his head, and he shudders. "But the weird thing is it felt like it couldn't...get in? Almost like there was something in the way." Or already there, some terribly unhelpful part of his brain offers.

Johnny's still giving him that look, and Max just lets out an awkward, nervous laugh. "You know what, forget it. It's stupid. It was probably just too weak from the butt-kicking we gave it."

"Yeah," Johnny says. "Probably."

"Hey, Max." His dad's voice sounds from behind him, and he jumps. He hadn't heard the doors opening. "You know what time it is?"

"Uh-"

"It's four a.m. in Timbuktu." His dad claps a hand on his shoulder. "So it's bed time for you, kiddo. Zoey's already asleep. You know she won the apple bobbing contest?" He gazes out into the distance wistfully. "They crowned her Princess Appleseed. Imagine, royalty under my own roof-"

"I heard," Max cuts in hastily, before his dad can start waxing poetically. "Good for her." He points at Johnny. "Can I say goodbye first?"

"Sure!" His dad spins around, activating the automatic doors with a dramatic arm flourish. "Just don't take too long, and remember, I get first dibs on any and all candy."

"Oh man," Max says sadly as his dad marches back inside. "I didn't even get any candy tonight."

Johnny perks up next to him. "I can give ya some of my stash," he says, punching Max in the arm. "Me and the boys are goin' out for some late night candy rustlin'."

"Ow," Max complains mildly, rubbing his arm. "You don't have to-"

"No, it's fine!" Wow, Johnny's really eager about this. It's almost endearing.

"Well..." Max gives in, weak to the siren song of tooth-rotting sugar. "Okay. Thanks." He gives Johnny a genuine smile.

"No prob." Johnny gives him a wobbly half-smile back. "I can give it t'you before school tomorrow?"

"Uh." Max stops to think. He knows if he gets a bunch of candy first thing in the morning, it's all gonna be gone by the end of first period. "How 'bout after? You can come over if you want."

"Oh - uh - okay." Johnny blinks, sounding flustered.

"Cool." Max lifts his hand in a parting greeting and turns to go. "Have a good night!" He calls over his shoulder as the doors slide shut. He sees Johnny give a hesitant wave back.

"You guys have fun?" His dad asks from where he's closing out the register.

Max really has to think about that. "...yes?" He answers, hesitantly.

"Great!" His dad walks over to the doors and locks them, then flips over the sign so the CLOSED side is facing outwards. "Why'd you guys split up, anyway? Zoey came back with your other friend."

"Um, she wanted to go with Isabel." Max fumbles for an explanation. "...something came up?"

"Ohhh," his dad says in a weird tone, glancing out the windows. "I see."

"What? What do you see?" Max demands, throwing his hands up. Why is everyone being so weird and cryptic today?

"That's not for me to tell." He baps the brim of Max's hat playfully. "Now scoot off to bed."

"Okay, okay," Max grumbles, heading up the stairs. Clearly nobody's going to give him a straight answer. Well, forget it, he thinks sourly. He's just gonna go to sleep and hope he doesn't have any freaky spider-related dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> max's clown kill count: 1 (so far)


	16. sparks

It's the afternoon after Halloween, and Johnny's trying to decide how much time to wait before showing up at Max's place is acceptable. He doesn't want to look too eager, which is why he'd gone over to Stephen's after school. Well, that, and the fact that Stephen lives the closest to the corner store.

They're hanging out on his bed, working through their stash of leftover candy. The little cat spirit is back, curled up on Johnny's lap, and he's absently petting it while watching Stephen place his tenth call in as many minutes.

"Ugh!" Stephen complains, hanging up. "Number 682."

"What d'ya get if you win anyway?" Johnny asks around a mouthful of chocolate.

"Tickets to Dr. Ectoplasm's 'Ghosts, Spirits & Beyond' talk!" Stephen makes a sweeping gesture with one hand, holding the phone back up to his ear with the other. "He's gonna be in Mayview later this month. I love his podcast."

"Mm." Johnny crinkles up the candy wrapper and lobs it towards the trash can in the corner, letting out a whoop when it lands perfectly. Stephen shushes him frantically, hands flapping.

"Damn!" He says a couple more curses. "754."

Johnny waits ‘til his tirade is over. "Don't we know enough ghost experts already, though?" He scratches the cat spirit under one of its heads, and it starts purring happily.

Stephen just scoffs. "Guerra won't tell me what I wanna know. Besides, this guy's like mad cool." He springs to his feet and bounces over to his desk, coming back with his computer. He flips it open and types something in. "Check it out," Stephen says, turning the screen around so Johnny can see.

He practically chokes on a Twizzler.

"Hey!" Johnny gapes at the picture smiling back at him. "That's the guy me an' Max saw in the mall a couple weeks ago! Y'know, the one who kept followin' us around with that weird thingy?"

"Woah, seriously?" Stephen sounds jealous, turning the computer back to him. "You met Dr. Ectoplasm?"

"Met's kinda stretchin' it." Johnny scratches his chin. "Lemme see that again."

Stephen swivels the laptop back around and Johnny studies the picture intently. The man has a thin, kinda sunken face, with deep, deep shadows under his eyes and long white hair pulled into a ponytail. "Yeah, that's him alright," he says with finality. There's no mistaking that mustache. "I think he figured out we have ghost powers? That's why he kept chasin' us around."

"Wish I had ghost powers," Stephen says for about the millionth time, dialing again. "You know how much orange juice I've been drinking?" He falls silent, listening to whoever's on the other end of the line, and then his face lights up. "Oh my God!" He yells, putting the phone on speaker. "Listen to this!"

"-thank you for calling the Supernatural Hotline," a woman's voice is saying. "Congratulations! You are our 1000th caller!”

“Oh, awesome!” Johnny gives him such a hard high-five both their hands sting afterwards.

“Please verify that you are over the age of eighteen or have parental permission,” the woman continues, “and give us your name and address so we can mail your prize."

Johnny's only half-listening as Stephen proceeds to lie his butt off, giving her his address. He's mostly thinking about Dr. Ectoplasm. He'd totally forgotten about him 'til now but...Max had said that guy was a problem, right?

"Hey, how many tickets you score?" Johnny asks, interrupting Stephen's victory lap around his room.

"Four," he says, flopping back on the bed and reaching for a bag of candy. Johnny swats his hand away.

"Nuh-uh," he says, sternly. "That one's for Max."

Stephen eyes the extremely full bag. "I don't think he needs that much. You trying to bribe him into liking you back or something?"

"No!" Johnny exclaims, feeling his face go hot. His temperature shoots way up, and the cat spirit jumps off him with a protesting meow. "We just had a really good score last night, alright? What's wrong with me wantin' to share?"

"There's sharing and then there's giving someone half a candy shop," Stephen shoots back, popping a piece of bubble gum from his own stash into his mouth. "I seriously have no idea how he hasn't noticed yet," he says, words muffled 'cuz his mouth is full of gum.

"Shut up!" Johnny puts his hands over his ears. "Y'want me to set your bed on fire?"

His friend's eyes go wide and he shakes his head.

"When's the talk?" Johnny asks quickly, changing the subject.

"Uh..." Stephen does some more typing. "The 26th, at seven p.m. It's a Monday."

"Hm." He's starting to feel an idea emerging. "Y'mind if me and Max tag along? Don't give me that," he says, heatedly, in response to Stephen's knowing look. "I just think this guy's up to somethin', alright?"

"You wanna find dirt on one of my heroes?" Stephen sounds hurt, and he quickly backtracks.

"I'm not sayin' he's doin' anything bad! I just wanna know how that machine thing he's got works."

Stephen considers this. "Well, okay. That still leaves one ticket, though." He frowns, thinking hard. "Who should I ask...?"

Johnny puts a hand on his shoulder. "Follow your heart,' he intones. Then he snatches up the bag of candy and jumps off the bed. "I'm gonna go see Max."

"Oooooohhhhhhhh," Stephen says loudly, and Johnny scowls at him. "Have fun with your boyfriend!"

"Shut it" Johnny yells back, hurling a chocolate bar at him. It misses completely.

"Hey!" Stephen pops up, and Johnny can practically see the light bulb forming over his head. "Invite him over for movie night sometime! What kinda movies does he like?"

"Uh." Johnny blinks. "I dunno? I'll ask. See ya later."

"You better keep us updated!" Stephen yells as he descends down the stairs.

"There ain't gonna be anything to update about!" Johnny yells back, face burning. At least Stephen can't see him right now. He makes it two steps out the front door of the house when his phone starts ringing.

"Invite him to the school dance!" Stephen shouts from the other side of the line, so loudly that Johnny has to hold the phone away from his ear. He just hangs up and proceeds to run the rest of the way to the store.

Max's dad is at the counter when he bursts in through the doors. "Oh, hello!" He greets, cheerfully, looking up from where he'd been playing with the cash register. "Max's friend! It's Johnny, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Johnny says, a bit bashfully. He's never really been comfortable talking to adults. "Um. Is Max here?"

"He's upstairs." Max's dad slaps the cash drawer shut, and his eyes light up when he sees the massive bag of candy Johnny's holding. "Oh, are you here to restock the candy aisle?" He laughs at his own joke, and Johnny just freezes.

"Um-"

"I'm kidding. Go right up." He flips up the counter partition and gestures grandly to the staircase behind him.

"Thanks," Johnny says a little uncertainly. Okay, it definitely feels weird being behind the counter without Max around. He notices Max's dad staring at him with a little frown, and something nervous settles into his stomach. Is he doing something wrong? He doesn't want Max's family to dislike him-

"Did you hurt yourself?" The question jerks him out of his thoughts, and he blinks, startled.

"Sorry?"

Max's dad just touches a spot on his own face, and Johnny subconsciously follows suite, wincing a bit when his fingers press against the big bruise forming high up on his cheek. It’s either from getting thrown around the elevator or getting smacked in the face with a huge spider leg. Oh. He's so used to being beat up after all the scraps and fights he's been involved in that he'd almost forgotten it was there.

"Nah," he says, dropping his hand. "Just got in a bit of a scuffle." That's an understatement, but Max's dad doesn't need to know that.

"Hm." He doesn't sound convinced, but he doesn't press the question, and Johnny skulks his way up the stairs. He can still feel eyes on his back, and it makes his skin crawl. He doesn't like the way Max's dad had been looking at him. Adults being worried about him isn't something he's used to.

Johnny shakes his head violently and sprints up the rest of the steps. He jumps the last one, landing with a solid thump in Max's living room.

"Sure, just let yourself in, why don't you." Max says sarcastically from where he's sitting on the floor by the coffee table. His little sister's seated across from him, painting his nails. She's wearing a big crown that says PRINCESS APPLESEED on it.

"You’re the one who said t'come over. Besides, yer dad said I could." Johnny flops down next to them, surveying the bottles of nail polish scattered across the table. "Hey, can I do mine?"

"Knock yourself out." Max just shrugs, then practically does a double-take when he sees the bag of candy. "Woah, dude, what did you do, rob a candy store!"

"Max!" His little sister complains. "You made me mess up!"

"Sorry."

"Why's everyone makin' fun of me about it?" Johnny protests as he reaches for a bottle. Zoey looks up from her work and swats his hand away.

"Nuh-uh," she says sternly. "I'll do it."

"Zoey, be nice." Max frowns at her, and she sticks her tongue out at him in return. He rolls his eyes and turns to Johnny. "It just kinda seems like overkill?" He says, in response to the earlier question.

"If y'don't want it, I'll just leave." Johnny makes to stand up, and Max immediately backtracks.

"No, no, it's fine," he says, hastily. "Thanks."

"Good, 'cuz you were about t'hurt my feelings." He sits back down and notices Zoey staring at him with that same big grin as last night, and he swallows nervously. He's still fuming over Ollie telling Isabel about this stupid crush, and then she'd probably gone and told everyone else, including Max's little sister, all to get them in the haunted house together. Which, okay, if Johnny was being honest with himself, he'd liked a lot, because Max was pretty cute when he was all scared and clingy. The whole spider elevator fight thing had sucked, but otherwise, he'd had a good time.

He blinks back to reality when Max nudges him in the ribs. "Wow, you really zoned out for a minute there," Max says, mouth full. He's already gotten into the bag of candy, both hands fully painted.

"Just thinkin' bout stuff." Johnny looks away, feeling his ears heat up. God, why does he have to be so obvious? He sneaks a glance back. Max looks just as oblivious as usual. "Oh, I just remembered. I gotta tell you something."

"What is it-" Max cuts off when Johnny jerks his head in the direction of his little sister, trying to be discreet. "Oh. Yeah, okay. We can go in my room after this."

Zoey doesn't seem like she's picked up on anything. "Wow, your hands are really warm," she exclaims to him, picking one of them up. "What color do you want?"

"Uh..." Johnny eyes the various bottles. "Y'got any pink?"

Zoey's face lights up. "Yeah! It's my favorite color!"

"Awesome!" Johnny grins at her, and a half-second later remembers his teeth. Oops. Hopefully she didn't notice. "Mine too."

Her eyes get huge and she makes a dive for the nail polish, pulling out at least five bottles of various shades of pink and inspecting them carefully, tongue poking out a bit. Johnny feels the back of his neck burning and turns to see Max looking at him. He's got both elbows on the table and his cheeks pressed into his palms and God, why does he have to look so cute all the time?

"What?" Johnny asks, a little more aggressively than intended.

"Nothing." Max averts his gaze and busies himself tearing open a bag of skittles. "Just wasn't expecting that from a self-professed bully." He looks up almost shyly and gives him a little crooked smile, and Johnny's heart almost stops. "Hidden depths and all that."

"I - well-" He clears his throat and slaps his hand down on the table. Max jumps a bit. Zoey doesn't even so much as flinch. "It's a nice color, an' I'm gonna like it no matter what people say, 'cuz gendering stuff is stupid and also a capitalist ploy to get us to spend more money." That last bit he'd gotten from Stephen, but it makes sense.

Max snorts around a mouthful of Skittles and breaks into laughter. "Okay, I'll buy that."

"This one!" Zoey suddenly says, holding up a bottle of nail polish proudly. "Gimme your hand," she demands, and Johnny complies. There's a silence as she works, and Johnny finds himself acutely aware of just how close he's sitting to Max, and he has to use all his strength to keep his temperature from skyrocketing up again. He's already giving off enough heat as is, and he knows Max can feel it. Zoey probably can too. Jesus, he hates having such an obvious tell. Might as well have a big flashing neon sign hanging above his head that says I LIKE YOU, MAXWELL PUCKETT.

"There!" Zoey exclaims, breaking the awkward silence. "You gotta let it dry though, or it'll smear." She caps the bottle and turns to look at Max, giving him huge puppy eyes. "Can you put these away, please?" She draws out the vowels.

"What? No." Max glares at her. "They're yours, put them away yourself."

Zoey just dials up the charm. Johnny thinks he can see a tear forming in one eye. Dang, she's good.

"Geez, alright!" Max throws his hands up and gets to his feet. "Quit lookin' at me like that," he grumbles, scooping up all the bottles and carrying them down the hallway into what Johnny guesses is his little sister's room.

She turns back to Johnny, that unnerving grin back in place. "Don't worry," Zoey says, solemn tone at odds with her delighted face, "I won't tell." She make a little cross over her heart.

"What are you - tell what?" Johnny's all flustered but desperately tries to play it cool.

Zoey just reaches up and pats his shoulder. "Isabel told me." Thanks, Ollie, Johnny thinks sourly. "I can help you if you want, 'cuz Max is pretty dumb sometimes-"

"No!" Johnny interrupts loudly, casting a desperate glance in the direction of the room Max is in. Please don't let him be hearing this. "I mean," he continues, aiming for casual but probably missing it completely, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Zoey sighs and shakes her head. "Boys," is all she has to say, then gets up and goes to her room. Johnny can hear her saying something to Max as he comes back out into the hallway, but can't make out what.

"Wow, what'd she'd say to you?" Max asks as he comes to a stop in front of the coffee table, hands on his hips. "Your face is all red."

"It's nothin'!" Johnny says quickly, then clears his throat. "Can we talk now?"

"Oh, right," Max says, remembering. He ushers Johnny into his room and then sits down on his bed. "Okay. Spill the beans. Oh, wait, hold that thought." They both watch as something materializes up through the floor. "Is it okay if PJ's here too?" He asks, pointing at the little ghost kid, who's now in his usual position of hiding behind Max. He's staring at Johnny over his shoulder, looking nervous.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so?" Johnny flops down on the bed next to Max. Their knees touch, and he scoots back hastily. "Okay, so- wait. Lemme pull up a picture first." He pulls out his phone and does a quick Google search for Dr. Ectoplasm, then flips the screen around so Max can see.

"Woah, it's the guy from the mall!" Max blurts, eyes going wide. "How-"

"He's some like, supernatural investigator or somethin'," Johnny interrupts, eager to share his news. "Stephen says he's doin' a talk in Mayview later this month. He scored some tickets to it."

"Huh. Convenient." Max is eyeing the phone, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we should go scope it out."

"Already on it," Johnny says, proudly. "Stephen says we can tag along. There's still one more spot open, though."

"Your other friends aren't going?"

"I dunno." Johnny shrugs. "Ollie's not really into that kinda stuff, and RJ gets bored easily. I mean, they'd both go if Stephen asked, unless y'think someone else from the Club should come with?"

"I'll ask Isabel." Max flops backwards suddenly, a very startled PJ letting out a squeaky noise as he lands on top of him. "Oh, sorry." Max sits up quickly and carefully moves over before lying down in a ghost-free spot, staring up at the ceiling. "I kinda wanna know how that machine thing he had worked."

"Y'ever tell Splenda about it?" Johnny lies back too, taking care to stay a minimum of five inches away from Max at all times.

Max just snorts. "I tried to! But every time I wanted to bring it up, he was giving a dramatic speech, or being all secretive, or - or," he mimes pushing a pair of glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You know. So I just gave up. Told Isabel though, but I think we both kinda forgot about it." 

"Yeah, me too," Johnny admits. "Til this mornin', anyway."

"Mm." Max is quiet for a bit. "When's this talk, anyway?"

"It's, uh-" Johnny struggles to remember the date. "The 26th, I think?"

Max sits back up. "Well, that gives us a little bit of time to figure stuff out, at least." He lets out a loud puff of air. "Man, I hope this guy doesn't end up being a serious problem." He glances back at the picture. "His mustache kinda freaks me out."

He jumps up to his feet before Johnny can respond to that. "Hey, you doing anything tonight?" Max asks, not quite looking at him. "We're doing board game night, and my dad's making spaghetti, so - I mean, you can stay for that if you want." He looks at his clock. "It'll be done in like twenty minutes, probably."

"Oh, uh-" Johnny blinks, fumbling for words. It's like his brain just shuts off when he's around Max sometimes. "Sure? I don't have any other plans, so..." Stephen yelling at him to invite Max to the school dance rises unbidden in his mind, and he swallows loudly. Oh, what the heck. He's gonna chew the bullet.

Johnny sits up, determined. Just play it cool, he tells himself. "Actually, I was wonderin'-" His voice cracks in the middle of the word and he stops, tries again. "I wanna ask you something?"

"Shoot," Max says, a little distractedly, ‘cuz PJ's whispering something in his ear. "Yeah, of course you can be part of game night," he tells him. "You can be on my team, okay?" PJ lights up and zips off happily, leaving the two of them alone. Johnny's not sure whether he should be happy about that or not. "Oh, sorry." Max looks over at him. "What is it?"

Johnny takes in a big, big breath. "Y'know the school dance in like two weeks?"

"Yeah-" Max starts.

"I was just wonderin' if, uh, if you wanted to go?" Johnny steamrolls on. "I mean like, with me an' th' boys an' your friends," he adds hastily, 'cuz Max has a weird look on his face. "Not just the two of us. That'd be weird." He laughs, and it's stupid and nervous and awkward. God, at the rate he's digging this hole, he's gonna be in China soon.

Max looks a little uncomfortable. "I dunno," he says, hesitantly. "I'm not really big on that kinda stuff."

"Oh," is all Johnny can say, and he hopes he doesn't look as crushed as he feels.

He must, because Max starts backpedaling. "I'll think about it, okay?" He offers, and Johnny nods, a dumb little spark of hope flickering to life in his chest.

"Max! Zoey!" Max's dad yells suddenly, effectively changing the subject. "Max's friend, if you're staying for dinner! Pasta's ready!"

"Oh, awesome." Johnny jumps to his feet, grateful for the interruption. "You better get ready, 'cuz I'm gonna kick your butt at Monopoly after this," he tells Max with a grin, and he scoffs.

"I'd like to see you try," he retorts, a grin of his own settling easily. "I'm the reigning Monopoly champion in this household."

"Yeah, for now." Johnny can feel his competitive spirit rising already. "I ain't gonna go easy on you just 'cuz it's your house."

Max just snorts. "And I wouldn't want you to. C'mon," he says, pushing Johnny out the door, "go get in the kitchen before the food gets cold."

It's okay if Max doesn't want to go to the dance, Johnny thinks as they race each other down the hallway, because this is okay too. He likes just spending time with him, even if it's doing stuff like playing board games or stocking the freezer aisle of the store.

Johnny's dimly aware that his crush has just blown past level four and is heading towards five at full throttle.


	17. like fireflies in the woods at night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone go check out this super cute fic[ fanart!!](https://kafircore.tumblr.com/post/186285525083/drew-a-scene-from-ash-in-your-mouth-by-honey-dont)

It's Friday, which means it's time for gym class, which means Coach Oop is in his element. Which mostly involves a lot of yelling and vigorous hand gestures.

"Is it just me, or is yer dad louder than usual today?" Johnny asks, leaning over to Ollie from where they're all sitting on the ground by the bleachers. He watches the coach drag a large sound system out onto the floor next to a old-fashioned monitor TV on a cart.

"He and my mom had a big fight last night," Ollie says flatly.

"Oh." Johnny pats him on the back, comfortingly. "Sorry."

"It's cool." Ollie just shrugs. Johnny knows he's pretty used to his folks acting like this by now.

"All right, babies, everyone stand up!" Coach Oop bellows, and there's a general shuffling sound as everyone scrambles to obey. Johnny catches sight of Max standing a couple feet away, next to Isabel and Ed. Max glances up suddenly, and their eyes meet. Johnny whirls back around and keeps a very firm and dedicated gaze on the basketball hoop hanging from the ceiling.

"As you might know," Coach Oop continues at the top of his lungs, "the Mayview Middle Fall Formal is in two weeks, and Principle Pleezdoo thinks it would be very nice and fun to teach you all how to dance!" His tone implies that he thinks it's neither nice nor fun. "So today we're going to be learning the noblest of dances-" He flips a switch on the stereo and jazz music starts playing. "-swing."

"Is he serious," Stephen says, dumbfounded.

"He's serious," Ollie replies, and Stephen groans. RJ starts slinking towards the doors.

Coach Oop shuts the music off. "Everyone partner up with the person on your right! You got three seconds!" He yells, and there's a rippling in the crowd as everyone standing near Max takes a giant step away like he's got the plague. Now he's standing in the middle of a huge empty space, looking confused, and RJ shoves Johnny towards him so hard he's forced to take a few stumbling steps forward so he won't fall over.

"What just happened?" Max blinks, sounding just as perplexed as he looks.

"Beats me." Johnny shoots RJ a betrayed look. They just give him a double thumbs up in return.

"Everyone got a partner? Good!" Coach Oop thunders. "Now sit down! We're gonna watch an educational video."

There's a loud groan from everyone in the gym. Johnny sneaks a look over at his friends. Ollie and Stephen are partnered up, and RJ's with...Ed? Huh. He looks in the other direction and sees Isabel's landed with Suzy. The 'journalist' is going through about five different expressions per second.

"I don't do dancing," Max grumbles under his breath as the TV blares to life.

"No talking during the video!" Coach Oop yells from up front, and Max colors, ducking his head down.

Johnny can't even focus on the fuzzy, black-and-white instructional video because he's too busy panicking internally. He eyes the gym doors. He could probably make a break for it, right? He's a lot faster than the coach. Or maybe he could pretend to be sick and get sent to the nurse's office. Anything to get out of having to do this with Max.

"You're smoking," Max says into his ear, and he jumps.

"Sorry," he says, swallowing thickly. Get it together, he scolds himself. A few kids around him are giving him weird looks, Lisa and uh - what's his name? Dimitri - in particular. He glares at Lisa. She just smiles demurely and holds a finger up to her lips.

The video ends and Coach Oop turns the TV off. "Everyone got it?" He asks, at a surprisingly reasonable volume. There's a chorus of 'no's and a shaking of heads from the class. "Good," Coach Oop continues, ignoring them. "Whoever in your pair is the oldest is the lead. I'll be in my office, so come get me if there's any problems. No trying to kill each other!" He flips the music back on and waltzes out of the gym as the same jazz song starts playing on repeat.

Johnny dares a look at Max. "That's me, right?"

"I dunno." Max shrugs. "When's your birthday?"

"June," he says. "The 12h."

"Oh my God." A slow grin spreads across Max's face. He looks positively delighted.

"What?" Johnny demands, feeling unsettled.

"Oh, nothing." He snickers a bit. "It's just my birthday's December 31st."

Johnny just stares at Max for a moment. "No way!" He bursts out, finally. "You're older than me?"

"Apparently!" He's laughing now, and Johnny just scowls. He doesn't really think there's anything funny about this. "Oh, dude," Max says playfully, lightly slugging him in the shoulder, "you're just a baby."

"Shut up!" Johnny says loudly, and everyone in the nearby vicinity turns to stare at him. His friends in particular are giving him very knowing looks. He ignores them all. "You - I - you're the baby!" He blusters, much quieter. "You're shorter than me!"

"Yeah, but I'm older," Max says smugly, and Johnny finds he doesn't have a comeback for that.

He looks out over the gym. About a third of the class have made their way over to the bleachers, refusing to participate, and the rest of the people still on the floor are pretty evenly split between dancing seriously and dancing just to goof off. "Y'know, you don't hafta do this if you don't want," he says to Max. "Coach left, so it's not like he's gonna know."

Max is about to say something when Isabel swings on over, leading a very red-faced Suzy. "Wow, you guys are lame," she says, dropping the other girl into a perfect dip. Suzy screams. "Get up and do something! It's fun."

"You and I have very different definitions of fun," Max shoots back, dryly.

Suzy's face lights up when she sees them. "Max!" She yells, still mostly upside down. "Do you have anything to say about the vampire attacks on Halloween?"

"The what now?" Max exchanges a look with Johnny, and he just shrugs his shoulders. He notices Isabel rolling her eyes.

"Halloween night, at approximately nine p.m, several volunteers at the haunted house were found unconscious with bite marks on their necks," Suzy continues, eagerly. "The rumor going around is that it's the work of a vampire."

Johnny feels his eyes go wide. That explains why the basement had been so deserted when they were there.

"I, uh, I don't think vampires exist," Max says hesitantly. 'Do they?' He mouths that last bit to Isabel, and she gives a tiny nod. Huh. Well, if ghosts and spirits exist, it's not much of a stretch that monsters and stuff would too, Johnny figures.

"Well, duh!" Suzy scoffs. Her face is getting increasingly red from still hanging in the dip, and Johnny wonders why Isabel hasn't pulled her up or dropped her yet. "Of course they don't. Obviously it's the work of someone pretending to be one." She gives them a wink. "I'm investigating."

"Oh, have you dropped the arson case?" Max asks, and Johnny elbows him.

"Don't bring that up!" He hisses.

"Oops."

Suzy drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "They're connected somehow, I just know it."

"Okay, that's enough of that, Susannah." Isabel yanks her back up and Suzy staggers a bit, lightheaded. Isabel twirls her away before she can ask any more questions. 

"Wow," Max says when they're out of earshot. "I can't believe vampires exist. I wonder if werewolves do too," he muses. Johnny sees Cody, walking across the gym a couple feet away, stop and give them a sharp look. He glares right back and Cody turns away with a frown. "Y'know, Spender's always on the phone arguing with people about there not being monsters in Mayview. Guess he's wrong?"

Johnny just makes a vague noise. He's not about to be dragged into the Activity Club's weird power struggle. Something bounces off the back of his head, and he whirls around to see a crumpled up ball of paper lying on the floor behind him. He spots his friends, plus Ed, in the corner of the gym, dramatically pointing at it. Johnny snatches the paper up and hastily unfolds it, shielding it with his body so Max can't see.

DANCE WITH HIM ALREADY!!!!!! is scrawled across the paper in thick, dark letters. Looks like RJ's handwriting.

"What's that?" Max asks curiously, peering over his shoulder, and Johnny practically screams.

"Nothin'!" He yelps, scrunching the note back up and hurling it in RJ's direction. RJ dodges it easily and it nails Ed right in the face. Whoops. "It was just, uh...wrong address?" He offers weakly, and Max just stares. Johnny mentally kicks himself. Way to go, stupid.

"Uh, okay." Max gets to his feet and brushes off his shorts. "What do you wanna do?"

"Um-" Johnny panics. "Well, do you- do you wanna dance, or?"

Max crosses his arms, considering. "Yeah, I guess," he says eventually with a mildly shrug. "Why not. But back there." He jerks his thumb towards an unoccupied corner.

"Still worried about your reputation?" Johnny asks as he stands up, dropping into teasing mode in an attempt to ignore the butterflies forming in his stomach. It's not really working.

Max just snorts. "Man, everyone in this school thinks I'm either one," he gestures with a hand, "a weirdo, or two," he gestures with the other, "a hooligan. I don't care about my reputation anymore." His face is a little pink, and Johnny knows he's just staying stuff to cover up the fact that he does still care a lot.

"Yeah, but everyone still likes you," he points out, and it's true. There's just something about Max that makes people want to be around him. It sure worked on him.

"Mhm." Max sounds kinda doubtful. "Anyway, let's go."

Johnny bumps off Violet on their way to the corner, and she gives him a little knowing smirk. He just glowers back. It's not like she's got any room to talk, considering she's partnered up with Jeff.

"Okay," Max says when they're safely tucked away, "let's see if I can remember anything from that video. Uh." He does a quick glance around to make sure nobody's watching before awkwardly sticking out his hand. Johnny just stares at it. "Hey, I'm lead, remember?" Max reminds him. "You gotta give me your hand. No, the - the other one."

Johnny drops the one he's been holding out and switches to the other one, then promptly loses the ability to form coherent thoughts because Max is touching him, Max is _holding his hand._

"Oh my God," Max groans a couple minutes later, slightly out of breath. "We are so bad at this." He sounds like he wants to laugh, which makes Johnny want to laugh as well. He bites the inside of his cheek in an attempt to keep it under control, but then they both look at each other and the dam breaks.

"Speak for yourself!" Johnny shoves him lightly. "You dance like ya got a bee in your sock!"

"Yeah, well, you-" Max fumbles for a comeback and gives up, dissolving completely into giggles, and the sound makes Johnny's heart skip a couple beats. God, why's he gotta be so cute all the time? "Okay, okay, I'm good." He takes a deep breath, struggling to keep a straight face, then promptly doubles back over.

"It's not that funny." Johnny nudges him, stifling back a laugh of his own.

Max straightens up a little, hands on his knees. "I have no idea why hanging out with you makes me laugh so much," he wheezes. "Oh, God. Alright, I'm good for real this time." He wipes his eyes, completely oblivious to the fact that Johnny's face is now the same color as a fire engine. He gives him a thoughtful look. "Maybe you should lead. I know I'd drop you if we tried to pull that fancy move Isabel did."

"Uh," is all Johnny can say, 'cuz his moth's gone dry at the thought. "You wanna keep going?" He manages, and Max nods.

"Yeah, 'cuz- oh wait, you weren't at patrol this morning." Johnny'd bailed out because he felt like he'd been neglecting his bros, even though they'd insisted they were fine, so he'd walked with them to school in the morning. "Spender said we gotta go to the dance as a mission." Max rolls his eyes. "I don't think he really thinks anything's gonna happen. I think he just wants us out of the way?" He shakes his head. "Anyway, guess I can use the practice."

"Oh." Johnny feels that little flicker of hope from last night come roaring back in full force. His stomach feels kinda funny, all twisted up with nerves and something else. He can't really place the last feeling, but it reminds him of when he'd been a kid and he and his sister had snuck out to the woods at night to watch the fireflies. "You gonna dress up?" He adds hastily, aware he'd been quiet for a suspiciously long time.

Max blinks. "Are you?"

"Uh-" Johnny flushes and looks away. "I mean, I might," he mutters. "Just 'cuz, y'know, it's called the Fall _Formal._ "

"Wow." Max raises an eyebrow. "And here I thought that would've meant you'd go out of your way to do the opposite." He gives him a smile that's almost shy. "I'll see what I can do."

Johnny's reply is cut off when somebody careens into him from behind and he finds himself being lifted up by his armpits. "Jang meeting," Ollie rumbles over his head to Max, who's looking vaguely alarmed. "It's classified."

"Oh," Max says, watching Johnny get carried away. "Uh, bye?"

Johnny splutters as he's set down on a bleacher. Someone's finally figured out how to turn the stereo off, and kids are clumping back up in their friend groups. "Guys, what was that for?" He complains, crossing his arms.

"There's only like five minutes left of class and we want deets." Stephen sprawls beside him, and RJ nods eagerly. Johnny half expects to see Ed still hanging with them, but no- he spots him across the gym talking to Isabel.

" 'bout what?" He squirms a bit under the combined expectant gazes of his friends.

"You two going to the dance or not?" Stephen bursts out, exasperated, and Ollie sternly puts a hand over his mouth. It covers half his face.

"Yeah-" Johnny starts, and RJ punches the air, "-but the whole Club's going, so it's not like it's anythin' special." RJ slowly lowers their fist.

"Hey, still counts," Ollie points out. Stephen mumbles something and he lifts his hand.

"Yeah, it'll be your second date!" He says gleefully. Johnny looks at Ollie, and the hand descends again.

"Stephen, quit licking my hand," Ollie tells him. "You know I'm immune to that." He turns back to Johnny. "So, you gonna spit it out or what?"

Johnny plays dumb. It's his signature move. "Spit what out?"

"You know." Ollie raises an eyebrow. "Geez, dude, pretty much everyone in the whole grade knows by now. They're taking bets in the school store."

"They're what?" Johnny splutters, looking around for Lisa. She's sitting a few feet away from them on the bleachers, and she gives him a big wink when their eyes meet. Johnny can practically see the dollar signs floating around her head. "Oh my God," he groans, burying his face in his hands. Ollie pats his shoulder, and Johnny looks up to give him a baleful glare. "Maybe if ya hadn't told Isabel-"

"I didn't tell her you had a crush." Ollie's nonplussed, still holding on to an increasingly squirmy Stephen. "I just said she should let the two of you go off alone and she figured it out herself. Just like everyone else, because you're super obvious."

"I'm not," Johnny protests, but only half-halfheartedly. Yeah, maybe he is obvious, but it's not like he can help it. Not like Max has noticed, anyway. Which is good, he tells himself. He'd die if Max knew. Johnny does his best to sneakily single him out in the crowd. He's over by Ed and Isabel, and they're laughing about something. He feels a tiny pang of jealousy deep in his chest.

The bell rings loudly. "Oh, lunch time!" Stephen gasps, successfully freeing himself from Ollie's grip. "It's pizza today." He sprints down the bleachers, all thoughts of gossip banished from his mind by the allure of food. RJ's hot on his heels.

Ollie stays behind. "Seriously," he says, quietly, "you should tell him. What's the worst that can happen?"

He can hate me, Johnny thinks, or he won't want to be my friend anymore 'cuz he thinks I'm creepy. "I'll think about it," he lies, and he knows Ollie knows it's a lie, but he doesn't push it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrote most of this chapter after being rejected by my own crush pour one out for me (it's fine)


	18. inflammatory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's more super cute [fanart!!](https://kriber.tumblr.com/post/186367306616/nyall-blease-read-ash-in-your-mouth-honey-dont-is) everyone please feast your eyes on this you won't regret it

Johnny's been hanging out by the punch bowl for about twenty minutes now, and he's busy downing his fifth cup of the night just so he'll have something else to focus on besides the way his stomach's twisting itself into knots and his knees are attempting to turn into jelly. The Jang had rolled up early to the dance and promptly gotten roped into setting up decorations by Cody and the rest of the Student Council. Stephen, Ollie, and RJ are still working on hanging balloons. Johnny watches them from across the gym where they're arranged in a human ladder, teetering precariously as RJ reaches up to slap a balloon on the wall.

Ollie'd booted him from the Friendship Fusion almost immediately. "In case your boyfriend shows up early," he'd said with a wink, directing Johnny over to a table laid out with food and drinks. "Just chill here for a bit."

Johnny eyes the clock antsily and goes in for his sixth cup. It's almost 6:30, and kids are starting to trickle in. Max had said he'd be a little late, right? Johnny'd offered to swing by with his boys and walk him to the school, but he'd said he had to do something first and besides, his dad was gonna drop him off anyway.

"Hey, hothead!" Someone punches his shoulder suddenly and he jumps, nearly spitting out a mouthful of punch. "Wow, someone's twitchy." Isabel grins at him, and there's a mischievous look in her eyes that makes Johnny kinda nervous.

"I'm not!" He protests loudly, and she just smirks.

"Sure." She leans in closer and pulls a face. "Man, your temp's so hot right now I could toast a marshmallow on you."

"Sorry," Johnny mutters, taking a sip of his seventh cup of punch just so he can avoid contact. "I'm still havin' trouble controllin' it."

Isabel pats him sympathetically. "Hey, you look nice," she says, changing the subject, and Johnny looks down at himself in surprise.

"Oh, uh, thanks?" He'd dug his only button-down shirt out of his closet just for this. It's not exactly a tux, but it'll do. "You too," he adds, awkwardly.

Isabel does a mock bow. "Yeah, isn't it sweet?" She actually is wearing a tux, and Johnny's a little jealous. "I thought it would be fun if me and Ed and Isaac all matched, so I got one of the ghosts who live at my house to help out. She loves sewing." She points at her feet. "And I've got actual shoes! None of that footie pajama business."

Johnny decides he doesn't want to know. "Hey, where's your nerds?" He asks, peering around Isabel like they might be hiding behind her. "Thought they followed ya everywhere."

"Ed wanted to do the karaoke contest over in the cafeteria," she says breezily, "so he took Isaac with 'cuz he's got like an encyclopedic knowledge of every pop song produced from 2005 and up." She grins at him suddenly, putting an arm around his shoulders and slapping him on the chest. "Oh man, if you think I look good, wait 'til you see Max."

He freezes with the cup halfway to his mouth. "Is he here already?" Johnny finally manages, voice strangled. He tosses back the rest of the punch like it's a shotglass.

"Oh, yeah. Bumped into him on the way in." She frowns. "I dunno where he went after that, though."

"Right here," Max says from behind them. "The Student Council wouldn't let me take my bat in the gym so I had to go put in my locker."

Johnny whirls around and proceeds to choke on his drink.

"Woah!" Isabel thumps him on his back. "It's okay," she tells Max. "I know the Heimlich and CPR."

"I don't need no CPR!" Johnny practically yells when he has control of his lungs back. His face is burning both from lack of oxygen and from the fact that Max is standing in front of him wearing that dress from the mall he'd been eyeing last month and - God, it's not fair, no one should look that cute -

"You okay?" Max sounds genuinely concerned and Johnny nods, looking away. He knows his voice is gonna crack if he says anything. He goes in for his eighth cup of punch, sneakily glancing at Max while filling it up. He's wearing a denim jacket over the dress and his hat's gone for once.

"Max!" Isabel grabs his shoulders and shakes him a bit. "I can't believe you're wearing a color! You look cute," she adds, and Max's cheeks go a bit pink.

"Black is a color, Isabel," he says, dryly, and she swats him playfully.

"You know what I mean." She shoves him towards Johnny. "Well, I'm gonna go grab Ed and Isaac and start our bit of the patrol. You guys want the top floors or the bottom ones?"

"Uh." Max glances at Johnny, and he gives the most casual shrug he can muster. "Top floors?" Max says tentatively.

"You got it! See you guys later." She starts to leave, then stops. "Oh, and seriously." She points at Johnny. "Don't drink all the punch. I want some later."

Max watches her dart out the gym doors and then looks at him. "How much of that stuff have you had?"

"Not much," Johnny lies, tossing his still mostly full cup into the garbage can. "You got that after all?" He asks, gesturing vaguely at the dress.

"Oh. Yeah." Max looks down and tugs at the hem. "My dad got it for me, 'cuz he was all like 'Max! You gotta dress up for this!' " His voice drops into an impersonation of his dad's. " 'I'll buy you whatever you want!' "

"It's nice," Johnny starts to say, and his stupid voice cracks again. "I mean," he clears his throat and tries again, "it looks good. On you. And, uh, probably on everyone else who would wear it," he adds hastily. "Not- not that they'd be wearin' the same one, y'know. They'd have their own."

Max is just staring at him. "Uh, thanks?" He says, hesitantly. "I think?"

Johnny's saved from having to reply by Stephen skidding to a stop from a dead sprint in front of them. "Whoo, I'm thirsty!" He yells, grabbing two cups and sinking them both into the punch bowl.

"Hey, where guys been?" Johnny frowns at him. He'd noticed his friends disappear a few minutes ago but hadn't seen where they went.

Stephen chugs his cup and then shrugs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Some eighth grader was smack-talkin' yer boy," he says, pointing at Max with his pinky, "so we went and taught him a lesson." He hands the other cup on punch to RJ, who's appeared as if on cue. Ollie shows up a few seconds later.

"I'd say thank you, but I don't know how I feel about somebody being beat up in my name." Max has got one eyebrow raised.

"Ah, we didn't hurt him that bad." Stephen flaps a hand dismissively. "Just scared him, mostly."

Ollie puts a hand on Max's shoulder, and it dwarfs him. "Nobody messes with you except us," he says solemnly.

"Oh, fantastic." Max looks at Johnny, and he can see the mixture of resignation and amusement on his face. "I've always wanted my own quartet of overaggressive tweenage bodyguards."

That gets a snort out of Johnny. Max gives him a smile and a wink, and he swallows, throat suddenly dry.

"Hey, we're gonna go check out the karaoke." Ollie nudges him. "RJ wants to see if they'll let them do any Archaeopteryx."

"I just wanna heckle people," Stephen adds. He leans in close. "Shoot us a text if you need someone to be your wingman, okay?" He stage-whispers.

"Have fun with the karaoke!" Johnny says loudly, in a desperate attempt to cover up Stephen's comment. He can feel his ears burning. Ollie picks up on the hint and ushers the other two towards the door. Stephen leans under his arm and snags a piece of cake off the table while he still can.

"So," Max says when they're gone, "what now?"

"Uh-"

"Hey!" A kid he doesn't recognize yells out as he passes by them, pointing. "Nice dress!" He adds with a laugh, and Max's face falls.

Johnny feels something boil up inside him, rage coiling in his stomach 'til it feels like he's going to explode. "Hey!" He snarls, reaching out and grabbing the boy roughly by the front of his shirt. "Apologize. Now."

"Johnny, it's okay." Max's got one hand on his chest, trying to force his way in between them. "Seriously, just drop it."

"Nobody gets to talk t'you like that!" He says hotly, staring the kid down. He's starting to look uncomfortable.

"It's fine! Just let him go." Max grabs his shoulder. He's looking at him with big, pleading eyes, and Johnny comes to the realization that he wouldn't ever be able to deny Max anything.

"...fine," he grumbles, relenting. He drops the kid but makes sure to lean in real close first, barring his shark teeth. He sees the other boy's expression change from discomfort to fear, and he scuttles off.

Max breathes a huge sigh of relief. "Okay, let's cool you off," he says sharply, grabbing Johnny by the hand and dragging him towards the gym doors. Johnny spots the Student Council watching them intently as they go.

Johnny lets Max drag him all the way down the hallway and around the corner. He's pretty aware that he can just dig his heels in and Max wouldn't be able to budge him, 'cuz he's so much heavier, but he doesn't. He finally lets go when they're by what Johnny recognizes as Max’s locker, turning to stare at him disapprovingly with his hands on his hips.

"What?" Johnny finally snaps after an uncomfortably long silence, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm trying out one of my dad's disciplinary tactics." Max gestures towards the gym. "What the heck was that all about?"

"You heard that guy!" Johnny's getting fired up again, his insides hot. "He was makin' fun of you!"

"Okay, but you didn't have to use your powers on him!" Max shoots back.

"I wasn't-"

"Dude, you were like two seconds away from lighting on fire." He frowns at him, narrowing his eyes. "You showed him your teeth on purpose, didn't you? You _want_ people to be scared of you?"

Max might as well slapped him for how much that hurt. Johnny flinches, looking down, and Max's face immediately becomes contrite. "No, I-" He doesn't know what to say. It's true that he had wanted to scare that jerk, just a little, but that doesn't he wants people to be _afraid_ of him. He thinks about how monstrous his spirit appears in his dreams, and Johnny suddenly wants to cry. "I'm sorry," is all he can say.

"No, I'm sorry." Max sighs. "I didn't mean that. I shouldn't have said it. I just-" He hesitates, looking away. "I don't want people getting hurt. I don't want you getting hurt. Or worse," he adds, trying to lighten the mood, "expelled. You see the way the Student Council was eyeing us?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, with a shaky laugh. "I'm already on thin ice with 'em."

"You and me both. They're all mad at me 'cuz I won't join them." Max bumps him lightly with his shoulder. "You wanna go start that patrol now?"

"Yeah," Johnny says again. "Okay."

"Cool." Max turns and pops the lock on his locker, reaching in and grabbing his bat. "Let's go."

They're both quiet as they climb the stairs up to third floor. Johnny doesn't know what Max is thinking about, but he's thinking he's never, ever felt so awful as he had when Max had looked at him like that. Well. Not-Jeff chewing him out during hitball and him setting the Doorman on fire are close seconds.

"Hey," he says as they step out into the third floor hallway, breaking the silence, "I've been meanin' to ask. How d'you, uh-" He fumbles. "How d'you talk to your spirit?"

Max gives him a surprised look. "Woah, you haven't done that yet?"

"Haven't really wanted to," Johnny mutters awkwardly. He takes a deep breath and straightens up. "I was just thinkin'. Maybe if I talked to 'em they can help me, y'know, keep this under control." He gestures vaguely at himself. Johnny's tired of combusting every single time he experiences a strong emotion.

"You gotta go into the spirit world for that." Max glances around and spots an empty classroom, door open. "Here, I'll show you," he says, pulling Johnny into the room and closing the door. "Fair warning, though," he adds, holding up a finger. "It looks kinda freaky."

Johnny watches as his eyes glow white and he starts moving in short, spastic gestures. Max is right, it is freaky. He starts backing away cautiously.

"Wow, someone's in a grumpy mood." Max snaps back to normal, glaring at his bat. "I'm trying my best to be friendly here!" He looks at Johnny, who's reached the door by now. "Told ya it looks weird," he says, sheepishly.

"It's cool," Johnny says nervously. He's starting to have second thoughts about this. "I've seen weirder. So, uh. How d'you do that?" He's gotta go through with this, he decides. He can't keep running away from something that literally lives inside him.

"You just gotta, like, uh-" Max hops up on a desk and sets the bat down beside him. "I dunno? The first couple times I did it I wasn't even trying. You just like...think about talking to your spirit and they should pull you in." He waves his hands vaguely.

"I'll give it a shot." He can hear the doubt in his voice. Johnny closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, thinking about the metal man with the jagged teeth and sharp claws. He can smell smoke now, and there's a fire crackling faintly in the distance. He concentrates harder, and mentally bounces off something. "Ow!" Johnny bends over a bit, hand pressed to his forehead.

"You okay?" Max asks from the desk, alarmed.

"Won't let me in," Johnny grits out. Now he's mad. No stupid spirit's gonna keep him out of his own head. He takes in another breath and holds it, like he's about to dive underwater, and thinking about punching the barrier in his mind 'til it shatters.

He opens his eyes again and he's in the classroom, and everything is on fire. Thick black clouds of smoke fill the air, making his eyes water and his lungs burn. There's a layer of ash across the floor. It's getting in his shoes. A massive shape looms out of the smoke, and Johnny forces himself to stand his ground.

"Impressive," rumbles his spirit, and a blast of hot air smacks him in the face. "Your strength of mind is formidable."

Johnny ignores the fear settling in his stomach from being surrounded by so much fire and points at his spirit. "You an' me are gonna have some words," he spits out. He's dimly aware that picking a fight with a spirit whose waist he barely goes up to isn't the smartest of ideas, but right now he's too mad to care.

The spirit dips his head. "Very well," he says, and Johnny blinks. He hadn't been expecting this to be so easy.

"Uh," he starts, faltering. Every single question and argument he's ever thought of have completely slipped his mind. His spirit regards him with what Johnny thinks might be amusement, and his fists ball up. He doesn't even want this spirit here, and he certainly doesn't get to laugh at him.

"You have questions, boy?" The metal man is circling him, and Johnny has to spin around to keep him in his sights. He suddenly feels very small and vulnerable. Like prey. "You are angry. I can feel it."

"Wha- how?" Johnny breaks in, startled. The spirit is still circling at a what for him is probably a slow, languid pace, but he has long legs, and Johnny finds himself slipping in the ash a bit trying to keep up.

The spirit reaches one massive, clawed hand out, and Johnny flinches away. "While you are my host," he says, lowering his hand slowly, "I see what you see. I hear what you hear. I feel what you feel, be that physical or emotional."

"Everything?" Johnny can't help but cast a glance towards the desk where Max would be sitting in the outside world.The spirit follows his gaze, maw splitting into a horrible, shark-toothed grin.

"Yes." There's definitely amusement in his voice now, and Johnny feels his face flush in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Even that."

"Well-" he blusters, trying to cover up his discomfort, "-quit spyin' on me! I don't- I never wanted you here in the first place!" He yells that last bit, the resentment and fear and deep feeling of violation finally spilling out, and he finds he can't stop it. "Why me? I don't want these powers! I hate fire!" His vision's blurring a bit, and Johnny tells himself his eyes are just watering from the smoke. "I hate- I hate you!" That last scream is raw and his throat hurts and he lashes out and-

-the spirit catches his hand easily, brushing him aside like he's nothing more than an irritating bug, and Johnny has to stifle an angry sob. Fighting's the only thing he's good at, and it means nothing here.

"It was merely a matter of circumstance," the spirit says, simply. "I was injured. You were there. But had I known-" he hesitates, and Johnny thinks a guilty edge creeps into his voice, "I would have chosen someone else. For that I apologize. To burden a child like this does not weigh easy on me."

There's a long silence while Johnny tries to make his voice work again. "What do you want?" He asks, finally, roughly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The spirit's still holding his other one. "Why'd ya make me go to that house in the woods?"

The spirit lets go and takes a step back, looking away into the distance. The reflection of the fire dances on the metal of his body. "I am Forge," he says slowly. "I am a solider. I seek a master to serve. The Doorman knows her. The angel." Forge turns and looks at him, and the intensity of his gaze makes Johnny swallow nervously. "There is a war coming to Mayview."

For a moment Johnny thinks he misheard that last part. "What?" He says, with an incredulous laugh. "You're nuts. Who'd wanna fight over this place? There's nothin' important here!"

Forge regards him levelly. "There is more in Mayview than you think, boy. Great power sleeps here. And it is waking up."

Johnny backs away, shaking his head. "Why're you tellin' me this?"

"I will answer that if you answer me this, first." The spirit clasps his hands behind his back and leans forward, dipping his head down 'til they're both at the same eye level. "The sunglasses spectral. You lied to him. Why?"

"I dunno." Johnny doesn't move, doesn't even dare breath or blink. "I don't trust him."

Forge nods thoughtfully and straightens up. "I see." He looks back down. "I tell you this, boy, because were I only to wish it, you would forget this entire conversation." He reaches out, claws glinting in the shifting, flickering light, and Johnny scrambles to get away, panic rising up in his chest.

"Hey- don't-" The ash shifts under his feet and he goes down hard, and Forge touches the tip of one sharp finger to his forehead-

-he's lying flat on his back in the classroom and Max is hovering over him, looking concerned. "Dude, you okay? You just wiped out."

"Uh." Johnny blinks, trying to focus. His head hurts. "Yeah?"

"What happened?" Max pulls him to his feet. "You were kinda yelling a lot." He frowns, leaning in a bit. "Are you crying?"

Johnny's hand flies to his face. His fingers come away wet. "I...guess?" He bites his lip, trying to think around the splitting ache in his skull. "I think we were fightin'? I can't- I can't remember."

Max shoots him a sharp look. "Woah, seriously? You can't remember anything?"

"Nope." He shakes his head.

"Well, that's worrying." Max puts his hands on his hips, deep frown etching his face. "Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought." He takes a step back and and lifts his hand in the air. "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Seven," Johnny deadpans. "I'm just messin' with ya," he adds quickly in response to Max's alarmed look. "It's two. 'm fine, alright?" He punches Max in the shoulder. "Quit worryin'."

"Ow!" Max rubs his arm, but there's a slight smile on his face. "At least there's no personality changes," he quips. "Why am I not surprised you got in a fight with your spirit?"

Johnny just shrugs, feeling his face heat up. "Hey!" He yells suddenly, and Max jumps. "I just remembered somethin'. He said his name's Forge. My spirit."

"Anything else?" Max asks hopefully, and Johnny frowns, trying his best to dredge something up. Nothing. He shakes his head. "Oh well," Max sighs. "Better than nothing, I guess." He grabs his bat off the desk. "Ready to finally get this patrol started?"

"Yeah." Johnny gives him a grin and they troop back out the classroom.

He's thinking as they walk down the hallway, vaguely aware of Max giving him sidelong looks. He told Max to quit worryin' about it, but - why can't he remember? He gets the impression of smoke and ash and fire and the metal man - Forge - like in his dreams, but that's it. It bothers him. More than that, it scares him. What did his spirit do?

He's so preoccupied with this train of thought that he walks directly into an open locker door. "Jesus!" He spits, staggering back with several of his best curse words. Johnny kicks the locker shut violently. He doesn't need any more reasons for his head to hurt.

"You okay?" Max is looking at him with equal parts concern and amusement. "Here, lemme see." He reaches out, and Johnny jerks his head away.

"It's fine-"

"C'mon," Max says, and he relents. Johnny has to physically stop himself from turning and running down the hallway when Max touches his face. He settles for staring over Max's shoulder instead, resolutely avoiding eye contact. He can feel his temperature skyrocket up, and he swallows heavily.

"Geez, you trying to give me third-degree burns or something?" Max says, dryly. "That's probably gonna leave a mark." His fingers wander down to the fading bruise on Johnny's cheek, and he winces when he pokes it. "Sorry. That from Halloween?"

"Yeah." Johnny's just barely able to speak, voice all thready and stupid. "Think that spider whacked me in th' face."

"Want me to kiss it better?" Max teases, and Johnny thinks he might actually, genuinely pass out. "I'm kidding," he adds hastily, dropping his hands and stepping away. "Sorry. It's just something I used to say to Zoey when she was younger."

"Uh," is all Johnny can manage, and he's thankfully spared from having to answer by something violently shoving him to the ground.

"Oh my God!" Max shouts in exasperation, and Johnny scrambles back to his feet in time to see him smash his bat into a spirit. "You again?"

The spirit tumbles a couple feet down the hall, screeching angrily. It sorta looks like a huge bat - the animal kind - only rotting, bits of skin peeling off and exposing the bones underneath. "Ew," Johnny remarks, getting to his feet and standing behind Max.

"It didn't look that bad last time we fought it." Max glares at the spirit. "Seriously, how many times do we have to beat you? You're a - a-" he fumbles for an insult "-a jerk!" He finishes lamely, and Johnny snickers. Max turns to him with a scowl. "What?"

"Nice comeback." Johnny smirks at him. "Y'want me to use my words?"

Max yelps and dives to the side as the bat dive-bombs them. "Maybe use your fists instead!" He yells, turning and firing a burst of black energy. The bat swoops underneath it, hissing.

"Y'got it." Johnny gives him a grin. Now this is something he knows how to deal with. "Hey, be my bait for a sec," he says, shoving Max forward.

"Woah!" Max glares at him, ducking out of reach of the bat's claws. "Why me?"

" 'cuz you look cuter," Johnny says, and instantly regrets it. God, why did he say that? Now Max is giving him a weird look. “Y’know, ‘cuz animals go after babies?” Okay, that just made it worse. "Uh, forget I said that!" He turns away and concentrates on the spirit, ears burning. The bat wheels around and charges at them again.

"Uh, Johnny," Max starts nervously, "if you've got a plan that'd be great, 'cuz I know from experience this thing's got a mean bite."

"Just leave it t'me." He eyes the spirit. Gotta time this right. He waits 'til the bat's at the lowest point of its dive, then jumps up and grabs its wing, yanking the spirit violently to the ground. Its skin feels gross under his hands, like it's about to burst apart. Johnny stomps on the spirit, pinning it to the floor. It struggles, screeching violently, but it can't move.

"Nice!" Max shoots him an admiring grin, and Johnny tries to ignore the pleased feeling that sparks up in his chest. "All right, you." Max turns to the spirit, pointing his toolt at it. "I'm giving you one last chance. Get outta here and leave us alone, forever, or my friend here will, uh, he'll light you up!" He bluffs, shooting a quick glance at Johnny.

Johnny swallows nervously. He can do this, he can - he takes a deep breath and holds out his fist, igniting it. The flame turns out a lot bigger than he'd been expecting, spreading halfway up his arm, and his knees go a little weak. It takes all his willpower to keep his hands from shaking. The fire dances in the reflection of the spirit's huge, flat eyes, and it squirms underfoot. "Yeah, get lost," Johnny says, a little more weakly than he'd like, and lifts his foot up. The bat immediately zips off through a classroom door and out the window.

He lets the fire go out with a gasp. Now he's trembling. Great. "Hey," Max says softly, touching his elbow. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Johnny looks away, embarrassed. "Didn't wanna let y'down," he mutters.

"You-" Max starts, and he's interrupted by the distinct sound of a camera shutter going off. They both do a slow turn. Violet's standing behind them in the stairwell, phone raised in the air, eyes wide. "Uh," Max says after an incredibly lengthy and awkward pause. "Hey?"

"Hey," Violet repeats distantly. She doesn't put the phone down.

"So, um." Max looks at Johnny desperately, and he just shrugs. He's got no clue how to deal with this. "How long you been there?"

"Long enough to record everything." Violet shakes her head suddenly, stuffing her phone in her pocket. "I was just up here to get some air, 'cuz I'm helping Lisa run the store and it's like, slammed right now, and I heard a bunch of noise and-" She cuts off and stares at Max, eyes narrowing. "I knew there was something up with you. I just thought you were, y'know," she twirls her finger in a circle around her ear.

"Oh, gee, thanks," Max says sarcastically.

"Well, you and your friends are always talking to stuff that's not there!" She exclaims loudly. "And you!" She points at Johnny. "What- how long have you been the Human Torch?"

" 'bout two months," Johnny supplies, and Max elbows him in the ribs. "Ow."

Violet presses a hand to her forehead. "What is even going on with this school? No, wait-" she cuts Max off as he opens his mouth to say something. "I honestly don't want to know. Just-" she hesitates. "Does whatever it is have to do with what happened to Jeff?"

"…yeah," Max admits, and she nods.

"Right. Okay." She's blinking a lot. "Is something like that gonna happen again?"

"Uh." Max rubs the back of his neck. "I...really can't say? We're, um, both pretty new at this. Please don't tell anyone," he adds quickly. "This is all, uh, supposed to be a secret-"

"Don't worry." Violet waves a hand dismissively. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks-"

"If," she continues with a hard glare, and Max gulps, "you guys make sure nobody else in this school gets hurt ever again."

"Uh...we'll do our best?" Max offers weakly, and she scoffs.

"Good enough, I guess." Violet turns around. "Nice dress, by the way," she calls over her shoulder as she descends the stairs.

Max just blinks. "Thanks?"

The two of them just stand there dumbly in the hallway. "You're kinda bad at this whole 'keeping it secret' thing," Johnny tells Max after a long silence, looking at him.

"Hey, I was doing great 'til you came along," he complains mildly, poking Johnny with his bat. "You're throwing me off my groove."

"Y'want me to leave? I can." He says this seriously. "The Activity Club, I mean." It's not like he's much use anyway, Johnny thinks. What's the point of having powers if you're too scared to use 'em most of the time?

Max frowns at him, face scrunching up. "What? No, I don't want you to leave. I was just messing around." There's a pause. "Do you want to quit?" Max asks that so softly Johnny can barely hear it, and there's something in his voice he can't place.

"I-" he hesitates, staring at the ground. Yes, he thinks, because his spirit and his powers terrify him, and no, because he knows ignoring this problem won't make it any better. And no, because I wanna stay with you. For a moment he's terrifyingly close to actually voicing that last thought, and he bites his tongue, hard.

"Johnny?" Max is starting to look worried.

"No," he says firmly. "I don't wanna quit."

"Good." Max breaks out into a relieved grin and Johnny has to look away, 'cuz that expression's making his heart do funny things. "Geez, you scared me for a minute there." He shoves him towards the staircase. "C'mon, let's go meet up with Isabel and the others."

They don't run into any more spirits on the way back to the gym, which suits Johnny just fine. He's had enough of being on fire for today. He ditches Max by the doors, cuz he's on his phone texting Isabel, and starts weaving through the crowd, trying to find the rest of his gang.

They're in the corner by the bleachers taking turns throwing darts at the decorations they'd put up. "Oh, nice one!" He exclaims as RJ nails a balloon perfectly. He's practically gotta yell to be heard over the very early 2000s pop music playing tinnily through the speakers. "Where'd ya score those?"

"Snuck into the vice principal’s office and nicked 'em while ya were with your boyfriend!" Stephen yells back. "There's all kinds of good loot in there!"

Johnny casts a quick, anxious look around to make sure Max hadn't heard that 'boyfriend' comment, which he is pointedly choosing not to respond to. He's still over by the doors, and Johnny breathes a sigh of relief. Thank God. "Lemme have a try." He holds a hand out, and RJ hands him a dart.

"What were you two up to?" Ollie steps a safe distance away. "We couldn't find you anywhere."

"We were up on th' third floor lookin' for trouble," Johnny says absently. He focuses on a balloon and closes one eye, squinting. It's the furthest one up the wall. There's a dart stuck in the brick beside it from someone's previous attempt. He does a few experiential fake throws and then releases the dart for real. "Ran into this freaky spirit and kicked it's- yeah!" He interrupts himself with a whoop as the balloon explodes.

"Awesome!" Stephen gives him a double high five and then adds a fist bump for good measure. "Hey, you got the hardest one, so you get to take another turn."

RJ pulls out yet another dart from their hoodie pocket and tosses it to him. Johnny catches it easily, and he's about to take out another balloon when someone plucks the dart from his hand. "Hey!" He protests, spinning around.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting into trouble," Max says, stuffing the dart into his own pocket. His voice is deadpan, but he's smiling a little.

"Uh-" Johnny's mind blanks. "You wanna take a turn?"

"Maybe later." His smile gets a tiny bit bigger and Johnny's super sweaty all of a sudden. "Isabel wants to talk to us." Max puts a hand on his back and starts ushering him over to the gym doors. "I'm borrowing your boss for a bit, 'kay?" He calls to the rest of the Jang, and Johnny doesn't even dare look at his friends 'cuz he knows they're all going to have that same stupid, smug expression on their faces. 

"There you are!" Isabel exclaims as Max pushes him out the door. It's a lot quieter in the hallway. "Max said you guys ran into that grudge again."

"Um, yeah." Johnny forces himself to concentrate on her. Stop thinking about the way Max's hand on the small of his back had felt, stop thinking about it, stop - God, why does he have such tiny hands? It's so cute it's infuriating.

Isabel puts her hands on her hips and sighs loudly. "Man, that thing just won't give up!"

"I think we scared it away for good this time," Max cuts in. "Or at least Johnny did, anyway." He nudges him. "Hello? Earth to spaceman?"

"What?" He snaps back into reality, jumping a bit. Johnny notices Isabel giving him a knowing smirk, and he scowls in return.

"Okay, so hopefully it won't bother us anymore," Isabel interrupts. She holds her hand out, palm up. and makes a 'gimme' gesture. "Now spill it."

"Spill what?" Max asks, incredibly shiftily, and she rolls her eyes. Johnny just shakes his head sadly. Man, he's really gotta teach him how to do a better poker face.

"I can read you like an-" Isabel hesitates for a moment. "An open book. What happened?"

"Uh," Max says, glancing at Johnny, then back at her. "Don't get mad?"

"Quit stalling."

"Violet saw us fighting that grudge. Well, I guess she didn't see the actual spirit," he adds quickly, and points at Johnny, "but she definitely saw him use his fire powers. Also, uh. She recorded it?"

"Max." Isabel pulls out her best I'm-not-mad-just-disappointed voice and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Max." She puts her other hand on his other shoulder. "I have been a spectral for nine and a half years and I have never let any non-spectrals find out about this stuff. You have been one for two months and have already let four people know."

Max squirms a bit under her grip. "Okay, do Johnny's friends really count if he already kinda told them stuff?" He interjects.

"Yes." Isabel drops her hands and steps back. "Well, it could've been worse, I guess. Violet's Lisa's friend and Lisa does like, magic or whatever." She waggles her fingers dismissively, ignoring Max's noise of confusion. "So she'll keep an eye on her. And I'll, uh, keep my own eye on...people?" She trails off, losing her train of thought. "Anyway!" Isabel says loudly a few seconds later. "Just- be more careful? It's hard enough trying to keep Spender from noticing Johnny's meatheads always hanging around."

"Hey!" He protests, offended on the behalf of his friends.

Isabel shows no remorse. "And you!" She goes to go do the whole double hand-on-shoulder move she'd just pulled on Max to him, then jerks her hand back, shaking it. "Ouch! Hot. Okay, bad idea." She settles for just pointing aggressively. "Stop lighting up in public so much. You're gonna get the FBI called on us."

"Does the FBI do ghosts?" Max deadpans, and she sticks her tongue out at him.

"You know what I mean." Isabel starts backing up. "I gotta run. I promised Isaac I'd do a karaoke duet with him next. But I wanna get group pictures later, so nobody leaves 'til I say so!" Johnny watches her moonwalk around the corner. "Oh!" She yells, popping her head back out. "If you see Suzy, tell her I know she's been following me all night and that her tailing could use some work." She gives them a wave and disappears.

Max glances wildly around the hallway. "I thought I was forgetting something," he mutters, half to himself. "Man, she just never gives up, does she?"

"Well, she ain't here right now," Johnny points out. "So don't worry about it." He shifts a bit, awkwardly. "So, d'you wanna go back in the gym, or...?"

Max eyes the gym doors. "That music sucks," he says, plaintively, and Johnny snorts.

"Yeah, no kiddin'. Hey, I got an idea." He grins at him, all sharp.

"I don't think I should trust that look," Max says in response, suspiciously.

"It's nothin' bad, promise! Well," he hesitates. "Maybe a little, but it's nothing illegal. Okay, well-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there." Max holds his hands up before Johnny can amend any further.

"C'mon!" Johnny protests. "You haven't even heard it yet! I was just gonna say we can go sneak out on the roof if ya want."

"I'm not- oh, God, there's Suzy." He whips his head around and they both watch her turn the corner at the far end of the hall. She lights up immediately upon seeing them. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea," Max says tersely. "Why don't we go right now."

"You got it." Johnny sweeps Max in the opposite direction, ignoring Suzy's yells.

"How do you even know how to get up there?" Max asks as they hustle along, and he shrugs.

"Me an' the boys get bored durin' lunch sometimes, so we like to check out stuff around school." He darts into the stairwell, and they run up two flights of stairs for the second time that day. There's a door set into the wall on the third floor landing, and he pries it open with a grunt. "This thing's never locked," he explains to Max. "Supposed t'be, but I guess they figure nobody'd be coming up here."

"Yeah, except you," Max says dryly. He helps pull the door shut behind them. "And me, I guess. God, you really are a bad influence," he groans, following Johnny up a half flight of stairs and out another door onto the roof.

"Ya sayin' you don't like me bein' a bad influence?" Johnny struggles to shut the last door. There's a strong breeze kicking up, carrying dead leaves and the smell of earth with it. He yanks on the handle with all his strength, and the door clicks shut. He flips the lock down just in case Suzy'd managed to follow them.

"I like you for other reasons," Max says absently, completely oblivious to the way Johnny's heart has just stopped in its tracks. "Oh, wow," he breathes, doing a slow circle.

"Yeah, it's a nice view," Johnny says with a forced casualness. The middle school's on the top of one of Mayview's hills, and they can see half the town sprawled out beneath them, nestled sleepily into the sloping landscape. He can see car lights passing by lazily on the streets, and distant figures moving under the streetlamps. The night's starting to slow down, and it feels almost cozy.

"No kidding." Max moves to the very edge of the roof and peers over, bracing his hands on the low half-wall. "Baxborough never looked like this." The breeze picks up again, and he shivers, drawing his jacket tighter.

"Y'cold?" Johnny genuinely doesn't feel the chill, which is pretty much the only perk of having these powers. He goes over and stands by Max, flushing when he leans slightly into him.

"A little," Max says, like he's not leeching off Johnny's heat at that very moment. He climbs over the wall and sits on top of it, legs dangling off the side of the roof. "Geez, that's a long drop," Max remarks, peering down into the darkness.

"Woah, be careful!" Johnny moves into hover mode, ready to reach out and grab him.

"It's fine." Max shoots him a grin. "I'm not afraid of heights. C'mon, sit down." He slaps a spot on the wall next to him. "I won't let you fall, pr-" Max breaks off with a frown. "Trust me?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Johnny's a little surprised by how quick and decisive his answer is, and he can tell by the look on Max's face that he is too. He just clears his throat awkwardly and nervously sits down next to Max. Johnny's never been this close to the edge before; he and his boys usually stuck to the middle of the roof. He doesn't dare hang his legs off like Max does, so he just keeps them tucked under him, cross-legged. Max is leaning on him again, for heat, and Johnny freezes.

They sit for a bit like that in silence, and it's actually kinda nice, Johnny decides.

"Hey," Max says eventually. "I just, um. I wanted to say. I know I got mad at you about it, but-" He looks away, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there, in the gym. I appreciate it." He glances back at Johnny, giving him a little smile that makes his eyes go soft and Johnny's breath catch. "Even if I don't, uh, always agree with your methods."

"It's- it's no problem," Johnny stammers, grateful that it's dark enough outside that Max won't see just how red he's gotten. "I just- I don't like people messin' with my friends."

"I've noticed."

Johnny takes a huge breath in. He's gonna go for it, he decides. It's a perfect opportunity, right? "Hey," he starts, and Max looks at him. Johnny promptly chickens outs. "Um." He fumbles for something, _anything_ to say. "Why do you like me?" Oh God, why'd he have to say that?

"What?" Max sits up, looking confused.

"Y'know, uh, earlier." He's floundering. "Y'said ya liked me for other reasons than bein' a bad influence."

"Oh," Max says, dragging out the sound, and he ducks his head, avoiding eye contact. "Well." He slaps his hands down on the hem of his dress when the wind threatens to lift it up, fidgeting with the fabric. "I dunno? I just, um." He scratches his face and lets out a puff of air. "I have fun hanging out with you, and you're easy to talk to, and I just think you're kinda..." Max searches for a word. "Interesting?" He grimaces. "That's not it."

"What is, then?" His voice comes out kinda squeaky and his heart's going a million miles an hour. Max shifts a bit, like he wants to get up and run away.

"Well, like..." He looks at Johnny. "You're a lot smarter than most people give you credit for. And- God, this is embarrassing." Max puts his face in his hands. "I almost said you're full of surprises," he continues, voice muffled, "which makes it sound like you're one of those candies that got banned in this country."

"I like those," Johnny says dumbly, and Max snorts.

"Yeah, me too. My dad smuggles them in from somewhere." He straightens up, slowly lowering his hands. "Any other soul-baring questions you'd like to ask?" Max quips, still avoiding eye contact.

Johnny's suddenly very, very tempted to tell Max all the things he likes about him, but it's a long list, and they'd be here forever, and besides, someone's sending him a text anyway.

"Isabel," Max says by way of explanation, holding up the phone. "She wants her pictures, and trust me, you do not get in the way of that girl when she's got her mind set on something." He gets to his feet and hops off the wall back onto the roof. Johnny follows at a much more cautious pace. "You think Suzy's given up by now?"

Johnny has the sudden, awful thought of opening the door and finding Suzy'd been there the whole time, writing every word of their conversation down. "She'd better if she knows what's good for her," he says darkly, yanking the door open more violently than necessary. There's no one behind it.

"Oh, better hustle." Max bumps into him from behind. "Else Isabel says she's gonna come up here."

"Well- race ya?" Johnny says quickly, eager to get away from how sappy that whole roof experience had been. Maybe he can outrun the butterflies in his stomach.

Max grins back at him, shoving his phone into his pocket. "You're on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i went to exactly one school dance in my entire middle school career and it was extremely awkward


	19. smoke inhalation

"Yo, Max!" Isabel yells, charging up the stairs to the living room and using Flipflop's power to back-flip onto the couch next to him. She misjudges the landing slightly and ends up kicking the book he'd been reading out of his hands. "Oops."

"Gee, thanks," Max says dryly, reaching over the arm of the couch to retrieve it. He scoots over a bit to give her more room. "Why's everyone keep coming into my house uninvited?"

"Your dad let me up." Isabel points over he shoulder at the stairs, then puts on her very best kicked-puppy look. "You don't want me here?"

"Of course I do." Mac closes the now very beat-up looking book and tosses it on the coffee table. "What's up?"

She doesn't respond, just leans way into his personal space to look at the book. "Hey, that for Mr. Starchman's class?"

"Yeah," Max starts, and she shakes her head at him pityingly.

"Max, it's the weekend. And it's fall break next week. Do that later." Isabel nudges him with her umbrella, grinning. "Or do what I do. Save everything for the night before, then cram it and still manage to get all As."

"I, uh, don't think I have that kinda talent." Max moves the tip of the umbrella away as Isabel goes in for another poke. "You come up here just to criticize my studying habits?"

"Nah, I came to give you this." She sets the umbrella down on the table next to his book and pulls an envelope out of her letterman jacket pocket, handing it to him with a flourish. "Ta-da!" she says, proudly.

Max raises an eyebrow but refrains from commenting, ripping over the envelope. There's a slip of paper inside with a crude drawing of Isabel's house on it, labeled ISABEL'S DOJO. Isabel herself is standing next to it, looking very intense and dramatic. He flips the paper over. The back reads FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD, 6 PM. "Did Isaac draw this?" Max asks, holding the paper up. That doodle of Isabel looks very familiar.

"Yeah, he was super pumped about it. Said he wanted to make the invitations all official-like 'cuz it's your first time." She grins excitedly at him, slugging him in the shoulder, and he drops the paper.

"Ow!" Max rubs his arm and eyes her. "First time for what?"

"Anti-Thanksgiving!" Isabel shakes him a little. "The Club does it every year. It started out as a joke when I was in like, fourth grade, but now it's kinda our tradition." She lets go of him and leans back, holding up a finger, ready to go into presentation mode. "It's 'cuz Thanksgiving sucks 'cuz you have to spend time with your family. And also because Christopher Columbus was a jerk. But sometimes you just want to eat a bunch of food with your friends, you know?" She slaps her first into her palm. "So we do Anti-Thanksgiving the day after. We're gonna Charlie Brown it up, so bring some toast or something."

"I understood like maybe three words of that," Max says, dodging her oncoming punch. She settles for putting a hand on his shoulder instead.

"You." Isabel points at him. "My house." she points at herself. "Friday. Six. Food bring."

"Thank you, Tarzan." He leans all the way back on the couch to escape Isabel's grip, head resting on the arm. "Count me in, I guess. You inviting the whole Club?"

Isabel nods. "All the spectrals I know. I'm gonna ask Dimitri too, but I dunno if he'll come. He doesn't like my grandpa." Max infers from her tone of voice that what she really wants to say is 'nobody likes my grandpa'.

"What about Spender?"

"I-" She falters. "I don't know. I'm still thinking about it." Isabel draws her knees up to her chest, pressing her cheek to them. "He'll probably say he's busy with something, anyway. Even though he's never missed a year before." There's a pause as she stares off into the distance, eyes unfocused, and Max waits with almost bated breath for her to keep talking. She just angrily shakes her head and gives him a bright smile. "Hey!" She exclaims, changing the subject. Classic Isabel. "I'm surprised you're not hanging with Johnny right now. You two have been practically glued together since before Halloween."

Max just stares at her. "Uh...no, we haven't?"

"You totally have." She pokes him with her foot. "You almost spend more time with him than me. I'm starting to get jealous," Isabel adds, teasing. "Maybe I should go fight him, remind him the 'best friend' position's already filled."

"Please don't," Max says, plaintively. The concept of people actually physically fighting for his attention makes him feel like the heroine of a romance novel.

"Ah, I'm just messin' with ya." Isabel spins around so her head's hanging off the edge of the couch and hooks her legs over the back. "I already know I'd win, anyway."

He doesn't know how to respond to that, so he just stares up at the ceiling. "He's been acting weird anyway," Max says after a moment, in a voice he tells himself is definitely not complaining. "At least since the school dance Friday."

Isabel makes a strangled noise that sounds suspiciously like a giggle, and Max sits up to look at her. Her face is bright red. Probably from being upside down. "Johnny's always weird," she says in response to his raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but-" Max hesitates, frowning. "I dunno, more than usual? I ran into him out on the street yesterday and he like, literally ran away from me." That still bothers him. He hasn't done anything wrong, has he? Max desperately racks his brain for any kind of offense he could've committed. Oh geez, he's not actually mad about Max leeching off his heat, is he?

"Maybe he just had places to be," Isabel offers, interrupting the beginnings of a decent anxiety spiral. She reaches out and touches a finger to her umbrella, and she's suddenly sitting upright on the couch, cross-legged. "You ask him about it?"

"That's the problem!" Max flops back down with a frustrated groan. "He won't text me back! I don't know what I did wrong!" 

"Max." Isabel does the whole hand-to-shoulder thing again, and for once he doesn't pull away. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's his problem. Forget about it."

"I guess." Max sighs noisily. "Oh, hey, I just remembered. I wanted to ask you something." He props himself up on his elbows and looks at her.

"Shoot," she says back with a cocky grin. "But then I wanna ask you something."

"Uh, okay." Don't you dare start overthinking that, he tells himself. "Can spirits make you forget stuff? Like if they're possessing you?" Isabel's staring, and he continues on hastily. "It's just that I showed Johnny how to get into the spirit realm Friday, and I guess he and his spirit got in a big fight or something, and then he couldn't remember any of it?"

"That is weird." She sounds a little concerned. "I've never heard of that happening before, but I guess it could?" Isabel frowns, thinking hard. "I'd say ask Spender, but he's got some kinda beef with Johnny's spirit or whatever, so maybe not." She straightens up and puts her hands on her hips. "I'll go talk to Johnny about it, 'kay? So you can quit worrying."

"I'm not worried!" Max protests, lying through his teeth.

"Mhm." Isabel leans forward, a little gremlin smile creeping onto her face. "My turn."

"I don't think I trust that expression," Max says nervously, and he scoots backward for good measure.

"Relax, it's just a question," she says flippantly, but she's still got that smile, and Max is even more unnerved than before. "And you can't lie," Isabel adds, pointing a stern finger at him.

"Can I at least hear the question first before I agree to that-"

"Do you like anyone?" She says it so point-blank that at first Max wonders if he misheard.

"Like...in general?" He asks hesitantly, brows furrowed.

Isabel rolls her eyes. "No, dummy. I'm asking if you've got a crush."

Max definitely wishes he'd misheard that. "Oh," he says, dumbly. "What - why - why are you even asking?" His voice squeaks on the last question, and he looks away, flushing.

"Just wondering." Isabel shrugs with a casualness Max knows is fake. "Oh my God, you're blushing!" Her grin's even bigger now.

"Yeah, 'cuz you're asking me embarrassing questions!" Max yells back. He's half-tempted to just get up and run into his room and slam the door behind him. "What - where'd this even come from?"

"You gonna answer the question or not?" Isabel doesn't rise to the bait.

"I've been in this town for literally two months!" Max protests, still not looking at her. "I still barely even know half the people at school!"

"Max-"

"No, I do not have a crush on anyone," he grits out, glaring at her.

"You sure?" Why does she sound so disappointed? "Think about it."

Max thinks about it. He's pretty sure he doesn't have a crush on anyone at the moment. Actually, he's pretty sure that he's never had a crush on anyone, ever. Mushy romantic stuff isn't really his style. "I'm sure," he says, very firmly.

"Oh," is all Isabel says, and her face falls. "Well-" She cuts off as her phone starts beeping. "Oh shoot, it's that late already?" She exclaims, pulling it out of her pocket and checking the time. "I gotta get back home. Gramps wants me to help train the newbies he picked up a couple days ago." Isabel pulls a face and jumps to her feet, grabbing the umbrella and slinging it across her shoulders. "I'll see you Friday, right?" She points the umbrella at him threateningly.

Max raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'll be there, don't worry."

"Good." She flashes him a grin and bounds down the stairs. "See ya later!" Isabel yells, voice drifting up from the store. 

Max flops back down on the couch and stares at the ceiling for a long, long time. What the heck had that been all about? He turns his head, eyeing the book lying on the coffee table. He should probably get back to that. Max picks it up and thumbs through the pages, trying to find his spot, but he can't focus on any of the words right now. He ends up just putting the open book over his face and sighing, breathing in the scent of old glue. Why are all of his friends being so weird today?

He's gotta get out of the house. Max sits up with a deliberate determination, suddenly full of restless energy. He puts the book aside and leaps of the couch. He makes a quick detour to his room to grab his bat and backpack - just in case, 'cuz you never know in this town - and then troops down the staircase. Max pauses on the third step, does an about face, snatches up the book, and stuffs it in his bag. Can't hurt to take it with, right?

His dad's at the counter when he gets down into the store, sorting jellybeans by color. "Hey, there you are!" He exclaims cheerfully. "Your friend just left in a hurry."

"She had to get back home." Max stares at the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm-" His dad pauses, looking down with a frown. "I don't really know. I got bored?" He nudges a jellybean over to its correct pile. "Business is slow today." He glances back up with a hopeful smile. "You wanna hang out with your old man?"

Max shifts a bit. "Uh, I actually was just gonna go out," he says awkwardly, feeling guilt settle heavily into his stomach.

"They grow up so fast." His dad sighs, but quickly flips it into a grin. "You too, huh? Zoey's over at a friend's place. Where you heading?"

"Uh-" Max completely blanks. Where was he heading? "I'm gonna go visit Johnny," he decides. If he won't respond to his texts, then maybe Max can get him to talk in person.

"Ah. I see." His dad stops his sorting and puts his elbows on the counter, resting his chin on the back of his hands. He's giving him a look Max can't place.

"What?" He demands, unsettled. He doesn't need his dad acting weird too. Well, weirder than normal, Max amends to himself.

"Oh, nothing." His dad gives him a smile and then proceeds to push all the jellybeans into one pile, scooping them all up and shoveling them into his mouth. "Have fun!" He tells him, voice muffled. Max just rolls his eyes and turns away.

"Be back later!" Max calls as he steps outside, doors swishing shut behind him. It's cold today, and he shivers a bit, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie down over his hands. He makes it two steps down the sidewalk before he realizes he doesn't really remember how to get to Johnny's place. He stops dead and puts his hands on his hips, thinking hard.

"Hello!" A tiny voice chirps from down by his feet, and Max looks down to see a tiny spirit staring back up at him. It kinda looks like a cat, except it's got two heads.

"Uh...hi?" Max says back, instantly suspicious. Sure, it may look harmless and adorable, but in his experience most spirits had something nasty hidden up their sleeves. Or, uh, fur. Or - he eyes the cat. Does it have grass growing out its back?

"Are you lost?" The little spirit continues, eyes huge.

"No, I'm-"

"Will you be lost?" The other head says this, and its voice is ten times deeper. Okay, that's kinda freaky. He just stares at it. "What we mean is, do you need directions?" The first head chimes in, squeaky and cute.

"Is this one of those situations where I'm going to get hurt 'cuz I didn't like, read the fine print or something?" Max narrows his eyes, hand edging towards his bat.

"Oh, no!" The first head protests. "We just want to help."

That only makes Max even more suspicious. "Why?"

The spirit gets to its feet and goes into a deep, cat-like stretch, yawning. Max notices it's got flowers in both mouths. "We know your friend," the second head says while the first continues to yawn. "He's nice to us."

"Uh, who?" Max goes through a mental list of everyone he knows. Maybe it means Isaac? He seems like the type to be a cat person. Or, uh, cat-spirit person, in this case.

"You know him." The spirit blinks all four eyes slowly. "He's warm and nice to sleep on."

"Oh." Max puts two and two together. "You mean Johnny," he says, and the mental image of a little cat spirit using him as a personal heater makes him smile. "Hey," he continues, a thought coming to him. "Do you know the way to his place?”

"That's what we were offering in the first place." The second head sounds vaguely irritated. "Follow us!" The first one adds with a chirp. It darts off down the street, tail twitching. Max just blinks and shrugs before following. He's pretty sure it's not going to try and lead him into a trap.

It doesn't, because they pull up at Johnny's apartment building about ten minutes later. "Ta-da!" The first head says proudly, rubbing its back against Max's leg.

"Oh, thanks." He hesitates, then bends down and scratches the spirit behind the ear. He uses both hands so he can get both heads. The spirit leans into him, purring happily. The nicer head licks him, and Max has to resist the urge to giggle, 'cuz it tickles. The spirit stiffens suddenly, tail bristling, then darts off. Max watches it go, absently rubbing the purple slime from its tongue off on his pants.

It turns out to be easier to get inside the building than he'd expected. Max just trails after an elderly man entering, acting like he belongs. Johnny lives on the third floor, right? At the end of the hall.

Max takes the stairs slowly, suddenly nervous. Maybe he should've texted first, instead of showing up unannounced. Sure, his friends did that to him all the time, but technically, his house is a public building, so it's a little bit different. He thinks. Max stops on the second floor landing and pulls out his phone.

**> max (1:12):** hey dude im at ur place  
**> max (1:12):** im coming up

He stuffs the phone back in his pocket and takes the last flight even slower than before, waiting for a response. He practically inches down the hall, checking and rechecking for a message when he reaches the last door. Nothing. Max just sighs and knocks on the door loudly.

There's a vague noise from inside, but nobody comes to open the door. Max waits for what feels like forever but is probably five minutes, growing increasingly annoyed. "Hey, Johnny!" He half-yells, knocking again. "It's me, open up!" He's halfway through the movement when he realizes that he doesn't know if Johnny's dad is home or not. Max really hopes not, because he's not prepared for talking to a strange adult.

Max hears a muffled crash coming from the apartment, and the door's flung open. A wave of heat slaps Max in the face, and he winces. Johnny's standing there, staring at him, eyes wide. Moxie's draped across one shoulder. "What're you doin' here?" He asks, sounding kinda nervous.

"Uh." Great, now he's feeling awkward. "I wanna talk to you?" Max offers up, hesitantly. "Is that okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Johnny steps back slightly. "You wanna come in, or-"

"I mean, that's why I came all the way over here," Max says dryly as he steps inside the apartment. "You're not answering any of my texts, so..."

"Oh. Sorry," Johnny mutters, closing the door. "I haven't been really checkin' it." He rubs his palms on his pants, like he's sweaty. "What's up?"

Max doesn't reply for a moment, just looks at Johnny closer. His heat's ramped up higher than usual, and his eyes are shadowed. Their gazes meet, and Johnny flushes. "Hey, you okay?" Max asks, concerned. "You look kinda, um, not great?"

"Thanks," Johnny says, but he sounds too tired to put any real bite into it.

"Well, it's true." Max just shrugs. "You sick or something?"

"Just been fightin' with my spirit again. Haven’t been sleepin’." Johnny looks away, and Max frowns. He vaguely recalls Spender saying something about 'spectral exhaustion', and wonders if this has anything to do with it.

"What about?" He asks carefully, and Johnny lifts a shoulder, careful not to disturb Moxie.

"Stupid stuff. I dunno. 'm tryin' to make him make me remember what he made me forget." Wow, he's even more incomprehensible than usual, Max thinks. On impulse, he reaches out and touches the back of his hand to Johnny's forehead, then imminently snatches it away.

"Yikes." Max shakes his hand, blowing on it. "You're even hotter than usual." Johnny just blinks and flushes even more, and Max feels his own face heat up in response. He coughs slightly to cover up his embarrassment. "I think you need a nap," he says decisively, ushering Johnny into his room. 

"Wha- hey!" He protests, digging in his heels. "Ya can't just come into my own house and start mom'ing me around!"

"Well, I am, so too bad!" Max grits, trying unsuccessfully to get him to move. God, why is Johnny so heavy anyway? He feels tiny claws prick at him as Moxie clambers onto his own shoulder. "You're outnumbered, so get in there."

"Fine." Johnny scowls at him but moves anyway, and Max pitches forward, suddenly unbalanced. Johnny catches him with an arm across his chest. "Y'okay?"

"Yeah." Max winces as Moxie digs her claws into his neck, and he very carefully picks up the alarmed lizard and passes her back over to her owner. Johnny takes her without comment and puts her back in her tank the moment they enter his room. She crawls into her hide, peering out at both of them reproachfully.

It's even hotter in Johnny's room, and Max starts sweating profusely. "God, it's like a sauna in here," he complains, peeling off his hoodie. "How do you live like this?"

"Y'get used to it after a while." There's something in his tone Max can't quite place, and Johnny turns away sharply, crossing to the window and opening it as far as it'll go. Cold air wafts into the room, and if it were a person, Max would marry it. "Don't ya wanna talk to me about somethin'?" Johnny asks, looking back at Max.

"Yeah, but it can wait. You should get some sleep."

" 'm fine."

"You're shaking again," Max points out, and Johnny scowls.

"No I'm not."

"Johnny-" Max cuts off with an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes. "Can you please just do this for me?" There's a long silence, and he opens one eye to see Johnny staring at him. "What?"

"Nothin'." He looks away again. "Okay," Johnny agrees, voice small and suddenly very shy. Max watches with mild satisfaction as he throws himself facedown on the bed, pulling a pillow over his head. "Y'gonna go?"

"You want me to stay?"

Johnny lifts the pillow a bit and peers out at him. "Kinda," he admits.

"Okay." Max shrugs and toes his shoes off, then sits down next to him, crosslegged, trying not to take up too much space. He sets his backpack down on the floor and pulls out his book.

"That for Starch's class?" Johnny twists it around so he can look at the cover.

"Yeah." Max eyes how much he has left to read with a grimace. "Figured I might as well get a start on it today." It's gonna take him the rest of the week to finish at this rate. Man, sometimes Max really wishes he wasn't such a slow reader.

"Finished it last week," Johnny mumbles from under the pillow. " 's pretty good."

"Oh, really?" Max starts, surprised, then stops, 'cuz Johnny's already passed out. Max just shakes his head and goes back to the book, biting back a smile that's bordering on being too fond for comfort. The temperature in the room lowers slightly, and he's relieved. Max flips to a new page and rereads the same sentence about seven times before giving up. He sets the book aside with a huff.

Max doesn’t mean to look at Johnny, because staring at someone while they’re asleep is way up there in terms of creepiness, but he does anyway. It’s not fair that he got stuck with this spirit, he thinks, and casts a glance at his bat. Sure, Scrapdragon may be big and mean and cranky, but at least it doesn’t _live_ in Max. From what he’s gathered from Isaac, possession isn’t fun. Especially not when your spirit is stronger and more amoral than you.

He lets himself flop backwards on the bed with a long sigh, staring up at the old glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. “None of this is fair,” Max mutters to himself. “We’re kids. We shouldn’t be doing this.” Isabel and Ed don’t see anything weird about constantly risking their lives, ‘cuz it’s what they grew up doing, and Isaac just wants to be part of a group, but Max is still kinda hesitant. Yeah, having powers and stuff is cool, but do they have to be in danger all the time? What’s he gonna tell his dad if he gets hurt, like seriously hurt, one of these days?

Forget it, Max thinks, closing his eyes. It’s pretty comfortably warm in here now, and he’s starting to get sleepy himself-

\- he can't breathe when he wakes back up. It's like being stuck under a semi-truck, Max thinks, if semis were also on fire and snored. "Johnny," he chokes out, smacking him in the shoulder with the one arm that's not pinned to the bed, "get off me! I can't breathe!"

Johnny doesn't move, and Max settles for trying to wiggle his way free. He manages to untrap his other arm and is about to try and shove the dead weight off his chest when Johnny wakes up with a start. They just stare at each other for a bit. Max watches a slow horror dawn on Johnny's face, and he scrambles backwards so violently he falls off the bed. Max sits up, wheezing.

"Remind me never to share a bed with you again," he says when he's got his breath back. "Geez, you're even worse than my sister." Max leans forward a bit and peers over the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

Johnny makes a strangled noise from where he's lying sprawled on the floor. "Yeah," he says quickly, ignoring Max's proffered hand and hauling himself to his feet. His face is bright red and the heat's kicked up again. "Sorry about, um, well - that." He looks away, flustered.

"It's fine." Max shrugs lightly. "You were asleep, so it's not like you were purposefully trying to squash me or anything." He suddenly realizes it's a lot darker in the room than before, and he frowns. How long had they been passed out? Max digs his phone out of his pocket and checks the time, feeling his eyebrows go up. "Sheesh, we were out cold. It's almost seven."

"No way." Johnny pats down his sweatpants like he's looking for something. "Hey, where's my phone?" He looks at Max, who just lifts his palms. "Gimme a call, would ya?"

"You got your sound on?" Max asks, but he does it anyway. Muffled music starts playing from under the bed, and he puts his own phone down. "Hey, found it!" He drops to his stomach and starts fumbling around underneath in the space under the mattress, feeling the blood rush to his head. Max's arms are just barely long to reach the phone, and it still takes him a couple tries before he's able to successfully snag it. "Got it!" Max crows, holding it up triumphantly. "Oh, hey, you got a text."

Max definitely doesn't mean to read the text, but the screen's lit up so bright it's hard to ignore.

**> mulder (7:03):** seriously you gonna tell him you like him or what?????

He blinks, brows furrowing. Who the heck is Mulder - oh. That's probably Stephen. Max shakes his head and tosses the phone to Johnny, who catches it easily. He glances down at the text and his eyes go wide, and he looks almost - scared? - as he snaps his head up to stare at Max. "Don't worry," Max lies, "I didn't read it." He ignores the stab of guilt from that. He's also trying to ignore the weird feeling that's settled into his stomach, but that's not working out so well.

Johnny likes someone? Max almost lets himself wonder who it is before shaking his head violently, mad at himself. It's not like it's any of his business.

"Uh," Johnny says into the awkward silence, "you hungry?" Max can tell by the tone of his voice that he's desperate to change the subject, and he goes with it.

"Yeah, a little," he admits. Actually, more than a little. Max realizes he forgot to eat lunch today, and his stomach grumbles as he sits up.

"Good. Well, no, it's not good, it's-" Johnny fumbles. "I can order pizza?" He practically yells that last bit, and Max leans back a bit. "My dad left some money, and I don't feel like goin' to the store tonight, so-"

"Pizza's fine." Max cuts in before Johnny can spiral any further, and he nods.

"Okay. Cool. Um. Y'like cheese, right?"

"Yeah." Max gets off the bed and wanders over to Moxie's tank. She's busy climbing the branch in the corner, but she stops and blinks sleepily at him as his shadow falls across the glass. Max can hear Johnny calling the pizza place behind him. The tension in the room's still so thick he could cut it with a knife, and he bites his lip, trying to stop thinking about that text. Why's it bothering him so much, anyway?

"Be here in twenty," Johnny says suddenly from right behind him, and Max jumps. "Sorry," he adds, forcing a grin. "Twitchy, huh?"

"I'm not." Max glares at him, embarrassed. "You're twitchy. You see the way you fell off the bed?"

Johnny opens his mouth but doesn't have an answer for that, and Max feels a bit bad. "You wanna go wait for it outside?" He asks eventually, and Max nods, suddenly needing to be out of this room. It's too hot in here.

"So," he starts when they're out in the hallway, "you feeling any better?"

"I guess." Johnny shrugs a bit, and Max eyes him. He still looks tired. "It's just-" He hesitates, stopping at the top of the stairs. "I've been tryin' to talk to Forge since Friday night, and I can't. He won't let me in, or he keeps kickin' me out, and I just wanna know what he made me forget!" Johnny stomps down the stairs with a real anger, jumping over the last one and landing with a solid thud. "It's bad enough I got these cruddy powers," he adds, starting down the second flight while Max trails meekly behind, "I don't need some ghost messin' with my head too."

"Maybe you could talk to Isaac," Max offers. It's not the greatest advice, but it's the only thing that comes to mind. "He's a medium too, you know. And his spirit's pretty nasty."

Johnny just snorts. "Don't think yer ginger pal likes me very much," he mutters. "Guess he's got good reason, since I burned down his hideaway an' all."

Max doesn't have anything to say to that, and they just walk in uncomfortable silence the rest of the way. Johnny opens the front door and he steps outside, grateful for the cool air. There's a few people standing in the parking lot, talking, but otherwise it's dark and quiet. "Hey," Max says suddenly, very softly, "are you mad at me?"

He senses more than sees Johnny look at him, because Max is busy staring intently at the ground. There's grass growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk, and a beetle ambles on by his foot. "What?" Johnny says, and he sounds startled. "Why would ya think that?"

"I dunno." Max just shrugs, feeling his face heat up. "You haven't been responding to my texts, and yesterday you literally ran away from me."

"...'m not mad. It's just-" He cuts off with a frustrated groan, and Max looks up in time to see Johnny smack himself right in the face. He then sinks to the ground while Max looks on in alarm, back pressed to the wall of the apartment building and face buried in his hands. "It's just-" He breaks off again, clearly struggling.

"You don't have to tell me-" Max starts.

"It's hard for me t'control my powers when I'm around you sometimes!" Johnny bursts out loudly, and Max blinks. A couple of people in the parking lot look over at them.

"Uh," is all Max can say. "Why?"

" 'cuz I think you're cool and I get all embarrassed and then I start settin' stuff on fire." The words come out in a rush and he slides further towards the ground like he's hoping it'll swallow him up. "So that's why I ran yesterday. 'm not mad at ya, promise."

Mix sits down next to him, feeling about a half-dozen emotions at once that he can't put a name to. "Well," he says finally, "I'm glad. And I think you're pretty cool too." He nudges Johnny with his elbow, and he gives a weak laugh.

"Even though I suck at being a spectral?"

"You're not any worse than me." The breeze takes a sudden sharp, cold turn, knifing through him, and Max shivers. He's starting to wish he hadn't left his hoodie inside. Johnny's still radiating heat, and he leans into him slightly.

"Max." Johnny looks up at him, dropping one hand. His face is bright red in the light of the streetlamp. "I gotta tell you somethin'. I-" He's interrupted by a beep as the pizza delivery man shows up. Johnny curses under his breath and jumps to his feet, heading over to the car. Max watches as he passes over some money and takes the pizza.

"What were you saying?" Max asks when he gets back.

"Uh." Johnny flushes some more, looking away. "It's not important," he says, fidgeting with the pizza box. "C'mon, let's go back up before this gets cold."

"I think that'd be pretty difficult, considering you're literally a walking oven," Max deadpans, and Johnny shoulder-checks him, sticking his tongue out. "Ouch," he says, instinctively, even though it hadn't hurt at all. He takes the pizza from Johnny as he fumbles in his pockets for his keys, opening the door to the apartment building and holding it open as Max sweeps inside. "Hey," Max asks when they're starting up the stairs, "did Isabel invite you to Anti-Thanksgiving?"

"The wha?" Johnny mumbles around a mouth full of pizza, 'cuz he's on his second slice already.

"Guess she'll do it tomorrow. It's this Friday, so I better see you there." Max fixes Johnny with his sternest look. "Don't avoid me anymore, okay? I don't-" His voice catches and he swallows, embarrassed. "It hurts my feelings," Max mutters, looking away. 

Johnny looks away too, guilty expression on his face. "Sorry."

"It's cool." Max gives him a smile and bats his hand away when he goes in for a third slice. "Geez, leave some for me. Look, me and Isabel and the rest of the Club wanna help, okay? You don't have to do everything on your own."

"Yeah." His voice is very small. Max knows Johnny's got a hangup about people pitying or worrying about him, just like he's got his own hangup about promises. "Hey," he starts when they're standing in front of his door, "thanks for comin' over. Pretty stupid t'spend all weekend mopin', huh?"

Max just shrugs, a little embarrassed. "What are friends for," he says, following Johnny back into the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we were so close and yet so far


	20. the burning house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's isabel time.

"Your friends here yet?"

"Not yet!" Max yells back up the stairs to his dad. He's sitting on the store counter, playing rock-paper-scissors with Zoey and waiting for Johnny and Isaac to show up so his dad can drive them all over to Isabel's dojo. They could walk, but his dad had insisted.

"Okay, good, 'cuz I'm not done toasting all this toast yet!" His father's voice filters down from the kitchen, followed by the sound of aggressive buttering. Max exchanges a glance with Zoey, and she shrugs.

"Ha! I win!" She exclaims triumphantly, smashing his scissors with her rock. Max just glowers and sticks his tongue out at her. "Wanna do two outta three?"

"Yeah, okay." They shoot and Max proceeds to lose the next two rounds. A noise on the stairs distracts him, and Zoey swoops in with a paper to cover his rock. Max sighs and sticks his hands in his jacket pocket, swiveling a bit to look behind him. His dad's standing on the bottom step, holding a large plate precariously piled high with slices of toast. He's got a mushy expression on his face.

"You look just like your mom, you know that?" His dad says, setting the plate down on the counter, and Max looks away, embarrassed.

"That's what you said last time." Max mutters, fidgeting with the hem of his dress. Technically Anti-Thanksgiving isn't really a holiday, but he figures it's close enough that you should dress up for it. Plus, he just really likes this dress. It's comfy.

"I know, but it's true." His dad leans over a plants a big kiss on his forehead, and Max pulls a face. "She'd be so proud to see how grown-up you guys are getting."

Max feels his chest tighten up and he blinks, eyes suddenly stinging. "Yeah," he forces himself to say, voice small. The store doors swoosh open suddenly and he looks up, grateful for the distraction. "Oh, hey, Isaac. Right on time." He squints at him. "Is that...corn?"

Isaac looks down at the basket he's holding. It's full of shucked ears of corn. "Oh, yeah. Isabel said to bring it so we can make popcorn with, y'know." He makes a ka-chow noise and mimes an explosion.

"Oh, sweet." Max hops off the counter and walks over to him. "I'd honestly pay money to see that." He picks up an ear of corn and tosses it in the air, catching it easily. "She's really into this whole thing, huh?"

"Yeah. Usually. She's a little, um, upset this year?" Isaac shifts a bit, awkwardly. "Spender's not coming. Said he had other plans."

Max sighs and drops the corn back in the basket. "Figures. What about Dimitri?"

"Nah." Isaac shakes his head. "Isabel said he said he'd rather hang with Suzy than spend time around her grandpa."

"Wow." Max winces. "Harsh." He takes a step forward so the doors open and leans out, peering down the darkened street. "Man, where's Johnny?"

"I can't believe Isabel actually invited him," Isaac says sourly, and Max shoots him a sharp glance.

"Geez, what's your guys's beef, anyway?" Max really, really doesn't want to get sucked into whatever drama Isaac's cooking up now. He'd been doing so much better with the Club since the whole hitball thing. More open, Max thinks, and less angry, and he'd hate for him to regress.

"Oh, nothing." Isaac snorts. He glances back at Max's dad and Zoey, deep in conversation at the counter, and lowers his voice. "It's just the only thing I know about the guy is that he and his friend tried to beat us up that one day, and also he burned down the one place I had for myself and scared off the Doorman." His tone gets increasingly bitter. "Besides that, we're best pals."

Max feels guilt stab at him, hot and sharp. He hadn't even thought about how Isaac would feel, losing the Doorman. "He still hasn't shown back up?"

Isaac shakes his head violently, and Max can see the beginnings of frustrated tears start up in his eyes. "No! I don't know if he's hurt, or..." His voice trails off. "If he wasn't, he'd let me know, right? He's my friend. I think." He says that last part very quietly.

Max just stands there for a long moment, 'cuz he doesn't know what to say. "Well," he starts, rubbing the back of his neck and not looking at Isaac, "I mean, I only met the guy once, but I could tell he, y'know. Cared about you a lot. I'm sure he wouldn't abandon you."

"That's why I'm worried!" Isaac bursts out, and Max sees his dad glance up at them. "He must be really hurt, then! And I don't know where he is, so I can't help!" He sounds like he's about to start crying for real.

"Hey." Max puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine, okay? If you want, we can start asking around, see if any other spirits have seen him."

Isaac sniffs and blinks rapidly. "Yeah, let's do that." He gives Max a weak little smile. "Thanks."

"Yeah." Max drops his hand. "I'll ask PJ tonight. I'm sure he'll love getting to be a detective." He can already imagine how excited the kid'll be. "But," he adds, giving Isaac a sidelong glance, "seriously, if you're mad at Johnny, just tell him. It's not good to keep stuff all bottled up like that."

Isaac just lets out a long sigh. "I'm not used to people letting me actually talk stuff out." He eyes Max. "You sure he won't just try and fight me?"

"Well-" Max has to stop and think. It's not really a possibility he can rule out. "Just tell him I said he's not allowed to," he says, decisively, and Isaac snorts back a giggle.

"You've really got him wrapped around around your little finger, don't you?" He says in response to Max's glare, giving him a stupid lopsided grin.

"Wh- I do not!" Max protests loudly, face heating up. "What are you even talking about?"

"Max, Max, Max." Isaac pats him on the back, shaking his head pityingly. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Shut up!" Max shoves him, lightly. "You're like, not even a year older than me!"

"Still older." He taps the side of his head and gives him a wink. "And smarter."

"And more annoying," Max huffs, crossing his arms. He goes back to looking outside, taking a step out the doors. Seriously, where the heck is Johnny? Behind him Issac just shrugs, nonplussed, and wanders off to look at the energy drinks.

He feels the wall of heat hit him right before Johnny does, and they both go down with a crash. Max lets out a strangled wheeze and shoves Johnny off him, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Ouch." He complains, eyeing him reproachfully. "I was just wondering where you were, so guess that answers that."

"Sorry." Johnny's scrambling to pick up all the fruit that had flown out of the bag he'd been carrying upon collision. Max slaps his hand over one as it rolls past him. "Wasn't lookin' where I was runnin'. Isabel said t'bring food so I went to the store and they were havin' a big sale on these lil' orange things." He frowns, thinking. "I dunno what they're called."

"Clementines?" Max offers, tossing the one he's holding to him.

"Yeah. That." Johnny stuffs it back into his bag. Max scoops up another one that's threatening to roll into the street. He blinks when he sees the brand name sticker on it - Cuties - and feels a stupid grin spread slowly across his face, because he's got a terrible idea.

"Hey, Johnny," he calls, getting to his feet and brushing dirt off the front of his dress, "come over here for a sec?"

"What?" Johnny chucks the last clementine into the bag and looks up at him.

"Just come over here." Max watches him shrug and get to his feet, waiting until he's within arms reach to peel the sticker off the fruit and slap it on the front of his shirt. "Now you're a cutie," he says, stupid grin still in place, and Johnny goes bright red. "Get it? 'Cuz-"

"I think you broke him," Isaac says from behind him, and Max jumps. He'd forgotten he was there.

"I did not!" Max protests, feeling embarrassed. God, why'd he even do that?

"He's smoking," Isaac points out, and Max blinks. Johnny's just standing there, frozen, and - yep, that's smoke all right.

"I was just messing with you, man," Max says hastily, putting himself between Johnny and the store in case his dad happens to look outside. "Please don't set yourself on fire in front of my family. Again." Johnny's still spaced out, and Max waves a hand in front of his face, poking him in the side with the other. "Hello? You good there?"

Johnny starts so violently Max is surprised he doesn't clear the ground. "Uh, yeah, I'm - um." He starts, fumbling. "Uh - gimme that!" He finishes aggressively, sticking his hand out. Max raises his eyebrows and deposits the last clementine in it with deliberate slowness. He's about to start teasing Johnny again when his dad sticks his head outside.

"Hey, we ready to go? Don't want to be late!" He chirps, then pauses, frowning. "I don't know if I have enough room in the car for all these children."

"You could just leave Zoey behind," Max suggests, and she glares at him from across the store.

"Max, that's illegal." His dad raises a finger to his chin, looking thoughtful. "I guess one of you could sit on someone's lap?"

"No, it's fine!" Max cuts in hastily. "We'll just squeeze in the back, alright?"

Five minutes later, he's starting to regret ever saying that. He's squished in the middle of the back seat, 'cuz Zoey had called shotgun again as her prize for winning rock-paper-scissors, and between Johnny's heat and Isaac's static electricity, Max is not enjoying himself. "Why do I gotta be in the middle?" He complains for the third time.

"Smallest person goes in the middle," Isaac says primly, like he's reciting part of a lecture. "It's just common sense."

Max just mutters and crosses his arms, sinking further down in the seat. He's got the big plate of toast balanced on his lap, crumbs flying everywhere whenever his dad takes one of his patent too-sharp turns. He just sighs and closes his eyes, trying to ignore the animosity between Isaac and Johnny. He's pretty sure they're having a staring contest above him.

He breathes a huge sigh of relief when they pull up to Isabel's house slash dojo about twenty minutes later. "Out," he says sternly, nudging Johnny with the plate. "You're boiling me alive back here."

"Sorry." Johnny practically jumps out of the car, Max scrambling after him. His foot gets caught in a seat belt and he face-plants to the ground.

"No, the toast!" Max says in genuine despair as Johnny hauls him back up, watching the pieces scatter in slow motion.

"I got it!" Isaac yells from the other side of the car. A gust of wind picks up out of nowhere, gently nudging each individual slice so it falls back down on the plate.

Max just blinks, impressed. "Thanks. Uh." He twists around to look at his family. Zoey's staring at him with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious, and he gives her a weak smile. His dad doesn't seem to have noticed.

"Hey, are those people doing kung-fu fighting on the roof?" He asks, pointing to the top of the house, and Max looks up. There's a group of people clustered on the roof of Isabel's house - well, half of them are spirits, but his dad can't see them - and Max recognizes one or two of them from the few times he's been here before. “They’re as fast as lightning,” he adds, sighing dreamily.

"Oh, yeah. Isabel's grandpa, uh, teaches martial arts?" It's technically the truth, Max tells himself. Just with a lot more ghost stuff involved than regular martial arts.

His dad's face lights up. "You think he takes new students? I used to do karate when I was your age, you know." He makes a chopping motion with one hand, and Zoey ducks. "Oh. Sorry, sweetie."

"Uh, I'll ask." Max bends down to pick up the plate of miraculously unscathed toast. Shout out to Isaac's weather powers. "Thanks again for this," he adds, lifting the plate a bit.

"Any time!" His dad leans forward 'til he's hanging halfway out the window, whispering conspiratorially. "Just between you and me, I ordered way too many loaves of bread for this month. Gotta get rid of the leftovers somehow." He wiggles back into the car. "Text me when you guys are ready to be picked up, okay? Have fun!" He starts backing the car up, waving vigorously, and the vehicle swerves a bit.

"Eyes on the road!" Max calls at the same time Zoey lets out a shriek.

"I got it!" His dad yells back, and Max watches the car putter away.

"He's gonna crash that thing someday," he says as an aside to Isaac, who's standing next to him looking very confused and concerned. "Least we didn't have to take our shoes off, though," Max adds teasingly, nudging him.

Isaac scoffs. "Yeah, 'cuz Spender's in love with his car-"

He's interrupted by the sound of a small explosion and Isabel comes storming out into the yard, spectral energy flowing off her in violent, choppy waves. She stops short when she sees them clustered by the driveway, breaking into a grin. "Hey! You guys finally made it." Her eyes fall on the bag of corn Isaac's holding and she punches the air. "Oh my God, yes! Can't wait to blow up those suckers."

"I have concerns about the legality and safety of that," Max says dryly. He takes a step back when Isabel goes to throw her arm around his neck, but he's too slow, and he ends up in the world's friendliest chokehold.

"Aw, don't be a buzzkill." Isabel looks down at the plate, frowning slightly. "Y'know I was kidding when I said bring toast, right? It was more of a general suggestion."

"Hey." Max picks up a piece and points it at her, shaking it slightly. Crumbs rain down to the grass below. "My dad individually toasted and buttered every single slice with love, so you better appreciate it."

Isabel snorts back a laugh and shakes her head. "Alright, alright. I'll take it. Hey!" She nudges Johnny with her foot. He'd been awkwardly hovering behind them during this whole conversation. "You like my dojo?"

"I wanna live here," he says with complete sincerity, eyes lighting up. "It's awesome."

"You're sweet." She slaps him on the back, and he goes a little red. "You bring food too?"

"Yeah-"

"Awesome." Isabel steamrolls on. "Isaac can show you where to put it. I wanna talk to Max alone for a bit, okay?"

Johnny and Isaac look at Max, and he just shrugs. "Guess I'll catch up to you guys in a bit?"

"Watch out for the house ghost!" Isabel yells after them. "He's a little skittish around new people so he might bite!" Max flashes back to the first time he'd actually set foot inside Isabel's dojo. The resident ghost (well, one of them, anyway, but this one's been there the longest so he's laid claim to the house) does indeed bite.

"You're not gonna grill me on anything weird again, are you?" He asks nervously, watching Isaac and Johnny disappear inside. Isaac's got a storm cloud above his head again. He still hadn't figured out what Isabel had been going on about last weekend.

"What? No." She blinks and frowns. "We'll get back to that later. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot." Max looks at her, and she bites her lip, clearly struggling to spit whatever she has to say out. He knows Isabel doesn't talk about stuff that bothers her, ever, and it worries him sometimes. A lot of times. She just keeps everything bottled up until it explodes. "Isabel?" He prompts, careful to keep his voice gentle.

"I just-" Isabel cuts herself off, clenching her hands into fists so tightly her knuckles go white. "I-" She trails off again, shaking her head angrily. "You know what, forget it. It's not important."

Max frowns, shifting the plate around a bit so he has a free hand. "Hey." He touches her shoulder lightly. "You don't have to talk about it, but if something's bothering you, y'know I'm here for you, right?" It sounds cheesy and he's kind of embarrassed, but the offer's genuine.

She gives him a weak smile. "Yeah. I do. It's just-" She lets out a gusty sigh.

"Your grandpa again?" Max offers, and she nods. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Isabel straightens up, forcing her usual energetic, madcap self back into place. "C'mon, let's get this party started. I'm starving!"

"Really hope you like toast," Max deadpans, following her up the steps to the front door. He can hear faint yelling coming from the other side, and he suddenly has a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What's going on in there?" He whispers to Isabel, who just shrugs and flings the door open.

The first thing he sees is Johnny, on fire, in a yelling match with Isabel's grandpa, and Max does an about face and starts marching back down the steps. Isabel casually reaches behind her and grabs the neck of his jacket, and he stops short with a hurk. Max twists around a bit to look at her. She's got a huge, delighted grin on her face. "You want some popcorn to go with the show?" He asks, and she flaps her hand frantically.

"Shh! I wanna see how this plays out."

Max reluctantly walks back up beside her, peering over her shoulder into the dojo. The rest of the students are standing awkwardly in the corners, pretending there's not a huge fight going on in front of them. He spots Ed and Isaac on the second floor, peering anxiously over the railing. He catches Isaac's eye and points at Johnny. 'What's going on?' he mouths, and Isaac launches into a complicated pantomime that Max understands precisely zero of.

"You should learn to respect your elders better, boy!" Isabel's grandpa booms, and Max winces. Oh geez, that's just gonna make Johnny angrier.

It does. "I ain't respecting nobody who don't respect me!" Johnny spits, flames leaping even higher. "Y'called me weak!"

Isabel's grandpa just eyes him, arms crossed. "You can't even control your spirit, and yet you rely on it to fight?" His eyes fall on Max and Isabel in the doorway, and he feels her stiffen beside him. "I would have thought my granddaughter would have at least taught you to harness your spectral energy, since she claims to be in charge of Spender's little club now. Well, Isabel?" He barks, and Max hears her growl, low in her throat. "Would not a true leader teach their subordinates to hold their tongue?"

"No, 'cuz I don't try and control people like you do!" She snaps, taking a step forward.

"Don't you speak to me like that, girl," her grandfather warns.

"Why not?" Johnny yells, and Max is seriously concerned he's going to set this whole place on fire. "She's a lot better leader than you are! At least she actually cares about people!"

"Enough!" His voice is loud enough to make everybody in the room wince. He glares at Isabel. "I let you have this foolish tradition, and you repay me by letting this child insult me? Get out." He says this last part very quietly, and that scares Max more than the yelling.

Isabel just stands stock still, chest heaving like she's about to scream or cry or both. She lifts her head slowly and meets her grandpa's eyes, her own hard and cold. Then she whirls around and stalks down the steps. She stops for a minute on the last one, then runs as hard as she can towards the backyard.

"Woah, Isabel!" Max blurts at the same time Ed makes a concerned cry from the upper level. "Can you hold this for a bit? Thanks." He shoves the plate of toast into the hands of a nearby and incredibly uncomfortable looking student, and races after Isabel. He hears several pairs of feet pounding after him.

The backyard's empty when he gets to it, and he skids to a stop, panting. The rest of the Activity Club smash into him, and they all go down in a jumbled pile of limbs. "Thanks, guys," Max grumbles, disentangling himself from Ed. "I don't see her anywhere," he tells him, worriedly.

"Over there." Ed points to a tiny tree house tucked away neatly in one corner of the backyard. It's ramshackle, with faded remains of once brightly colored ribbons and streamers and flags tacked to the wood. "We used to play there when we were little."

"Oh," is all Max can say, and their little group goes over there. Ed leads the way. Johnny's no longer on fire, but he's still uncomfortably hot, and the amount of static charge Isaac's giving off right now is making the hair on the back of Max's neck stand up. Must suck to have your emotions displayed so plainly, Max thinks distantly.

"Hey, Izzy?" Ed calls up to the tree house, tentatively. He's got his paintbrush out and is nervously spinning it in his fingers.

"Go away!" Comes Isabel's muffled reply, and the four of them look at each other.

"Isabel, c'mon!" Max says loudly. "Talk to us, alright?" There's no reply and he sighs. "I'm gonna go up," he tells Ed, and he nods.

Max puts his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder, testing it to make sure it'll support his weight. Sure, Isabel had gotten up here just fine, and she probably weighs more than him, but the wood's old and rotted and he'd rather not plunge to his death, thank you. It holds, and he climbs up the rest of the way. "Isabel?" He calls, poking his head up through the trapdoor.

"I said go away." She's sitting hunched over in one corner of the tree house, surrounded by a pile of books.

"Iz, we're your friends." Max hauls himself inside. "We're not gonna just let you run off like that."

She lifts her head and looks at him. "You think my grandpa's right?" She asks quietly, after a silence, and Max blinks.

"What-"

"I wanted to ask you earlier." She's drumming her fingers on one of the books now, turning her head to stare out the window. "Am I doing a good job?"

"At what? Leading the Club?" Max scoots across the dusty floor so he's sitting next to her.

"At everything!" Isabel bursts out, and she sounds like she wants to cry. "I'm- I- me and Flipflop were working really hard to be a good team, and I thought if at least he didn't like that, he could respect it! But no!" Her voice is increasing in pitch. "He always has to criticize me! I'm always doing something wrong!" Isabel slams her first down on the book. "I'm never going to be enough for him!"

"Isabel-"

"No!" She cuts him off. "You don't - you don't know what it's like, having your every move scrutinized and put down and - and -" Her face crinkles up. "I'm his family! Why does he hate me so much? I just-" she breaks off, shoulders starting to shake.

"You just what?" Max asks, cautiously.

"I just want someone to be proud of me!" Isabel screams, picking up the book and violently throwing it against the wall. The spine splits on impact, pages fluttering around the tree house, and Isabel breaks down into big, racking sobs. "I am trying so, so hard all the time, and nobody notices or cares and I miss Eightfold! She was my friend and I let her down! I left her! And nobody cares 'cuz she was just a spirit, so they act like she doesn't matter!" She hiccups, pulling angrily at her hair. "And - and Spender! God, I thought he was my friend! I've known him my whole life and he doesn't - he doesn't trust me! He doesn’t care about me! He doesn't - nobody-" Her voice cracks and her face screws up and she curls into a ball, looking small and sad and more vulnerable than Max has ever seen her, and his heart _hurts._

"Isabel," he says, and it's a pitiful noise, ground down under the weight of the burden she's been carrying, but it's all his throat will let him speak, because Max thinks he's going to start crying himself. He puts his arm around her, slowly, in case she wants to pull away. She doesn't, and after a moment she leans into him, and they sit like that for a while.

There's a noise from the trapdoor and Ed pops up, looking unhappy. "Izzy," he starts, and then stops, shaking his head. He clambers inside and drops down next to her, hugging her from the other side.

Isabel sniffs a bit. "Did you guys hear all that?" Her voice is thick and tinged with embarrassment.

"Uh...yeah." Ed adjusts his glasses awkwardly. "But y'know, it's no biggie. We're your friends." The last note lands on an uplift, like he's uncertain.

Isabel lifts her head and gives him a watery smile. "You goof. Don't sound so worried. Of course we are."

Ed smiles back at her, relieved. "I wanna say - well, y'know..." He trails off, fidgeting with his tool again. "I think you're doing a great job, Izzy. And I'm proud of ya."

"Yeah, me too," Max adds.

A sudden gust of wind blasts them all in the face as Isaac uses his weather powers to forego the ladder and jump right up into the tree house. He trips over the edge of the trap door and lands on his stomach with a winded oof. "Me too," he says hurriedly, scrambling to his feet. "Or me three. Sorry, I only heard that last part."

Isabel blows a strand of hair out of her face with a puff. "Isaac-"

"No, I wanna say something," he says quickly, then stops, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans and looking uncomfortable. "I used to be so mad at you." His voice is very quiet. "Sometimes I even hated you and - and I was wrong. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry." Isaac looks up, face uncertain.

Max sneaks a sideways glance at Isabel. She's just staring at Isaac, who's getting increasingly squirmy. "Thank you," she says, finally. "I-" She breaks off, getting choked up again, and Isaac looks concerned. "No, I'm fine. It's fine." She shakes her head.

Max leans forward and sticks his head out the trapdoor, looking down at Johnny. He's just standing there, hands out at his sides like he doesn't know what to do with them. "Hey!" He calls, and Johnny turns to look at him. "Get up here!"

"Y'want me there?" He sounds uncertain.

Isabel pops up behind Max, elbowing him out of the way. "Of course, ya big dummy!" She yells right in his ear, and Max winces. "You're part of the Activity Club, aren't you?"

Johnny breaks out into a big, sharp grin, and he's in the tree house a couple seconds later. Isabel fixes him with a sharp look, and his grin falters. "You wanna tell me what happened back there?"

"Uh," Johnny starts.

"He walked in and your grandpa said, and I quote," Ed interrupts, fingers poised for air quotations, "'another weak, untrained mouth for me to feed?'" He shrugs. "Then they got in a shouting match."

Isabel snorts back a giggle. "I don't know what else I expected," she says dryly, wiping her face. It's still stained with tear tracks, but Max isn't going to mention it.

"Yer not mad?" Johnny asks, sounding a bit nervous. He's lurking on the other side of the trap door, away from everyone else.

"Nah." Isabel shakes her head. "We don't really get along, if you didn't notice."

"Good. I mean, not good that y'don't get along!" He adds hastily, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just mean, uh...I don't really like your gramps."

"No one does." Ed and Isabel say that at the same time and they exchange a glance, breaking into giggles.

"So what now?" Isaac says when they're done, and Isabel's mouth twists.

"I dunno," she admits. "I don't really wanna go back in there."

"Well," Max starts, and everyone swivels to look at him. Okay, he's definitely uncomfortable having four pairs of eyes staring him down. "I was just gonna say. We could go to my place?" He shrugs one shoulder. "My dad would probably be okay with it."

"You sure?" Isabel asks, and he nods. She gives him a small, relieved smile. "Thanks. Oh!" She jerks like she's just been stung. "We gotta go get all the food out of Ed's room!"

"Oh noooo," Ed wails, sounding genuinely distressed. "My nachos are probably cold by now!" He bounds to his feet and disappears down the ladder at light speed. "Izzy, come help me sneak inside!" His voice floats up through the trap door, and Isabel grins.

"Let's go in through the ceiling this time!" She calls after Ed, sliding down the ladder. Isaac follows them, jumping out the hole in the floor and using his wind powers to break his fall. Johnny looks like he's about to go after them, and Max scrambles to his feet and makes a grab for his elbow.

"I gotta call my dad," he says in response to Johnny's inquisitive look. "Don't leave me alone in here, okay?"

"Oh." Johnny sits back down.

Max pulls his phone out of his pocket and wanders over to the tree house’s window. There's an old drawing tacked up beside it, a child's scribble done in heavy-handed crayon. He wonders whether Ed or Isabel made it. Max dials his dad's number and leans on the sill while he waits for him to pick up, looking out. The sun's just starting to set, the sky streaked with bright smears of pink. There's a couple of spirits circling one of the turrets of the dojo, dodging spec shots launched by the students on the roof.

"Hey, bud, what's up?" His dad's voice sounds in his ear and he jumps a bit, startled. Man, he'd really been zoning out.

"Um." Max hesitates, suddenly feeling bad about asking his father to drive back out here not even an hour after he'd dropped them off. "Hey, dad? Do you think maybe you could pick me and my friends up early? And is it okay if we had the party at home instead?"

"I'm always down for a party." There's a loud thud in the distance and the faint sound of Zoey shrieking. Max blinks. What's going on over there? "Did something happen? I swear I just dropped you guys off."

"Yeah, kinda." Max admits. "None of us really want to stay here." There's a deafening rattling noise and Max winces, holding the phone away from his ear. "Is something wrong with the store?"

"Everything's perfectly fine!" His dad assures him, yelling to be heard over the various thumps and creakings coming from the other side of the line. Max is less than convinced. "Okay, well, the washing machine flipped it's lid again and your sister is currently trying to contain it. Zoey, how's it looking?" His voice is muffled for that last bit, and Max guesses he's put the phone down. Zoey yells something back he can't make out.

"Are you guys sure you're okay?" The last time the washing machine had gone haywire had been because PJ'd accidentally blasted it with his plunger. If he'd done it again...Max resolves to have words with him when he gets home.

"Absolutely - oh no!"

"What?"

"My socks are wet." His dad says this with such real sorrow that Max has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at the absurdness of it all. "It's probably gonna take us a while to get this sorted, buddy. I'll call you when I'm on my way over, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks, Dad." Max hangs up and turns around to find Johnny staring at him. "What?"

Johnny ducks his head down, face turning red. "Nothin'," he mutters, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the floorboards. Max raises an eyebrow but doesn't question it, flopping down next to him. "Somethin' going on at your place?" Johnny asks, not quite looking at him. "Ya sounded kinda worried on the phone."

Max tips his head back against the wall and sighs, closing his eyes. "Washing machine flooded the kitchen. Again." He half-opens one eye and sees Johnny's back to staring. "Okay, seriously, what's with the staring? You're kinda weirding me out."

"I'm not starin'!" Johnny protests, voice high. "I was just-" He hesitates, and Max looks at him fully. "You're not mad at me? For gettin' in a fight with gramps here?"

Max blinks. "It's not really my place to be mad? It's Isabel's house. And uh, grandfather."

"Isabel-"

"She's not mad either," Max interrupts. "Trust me, you'd know if she was."

"Oh." He's quiet for a bit. "Y'two are real good friends, huh."

"Yeah. She's great." Max smiles fondly. He hadn't really been expecting one of his best friends in Mayview to be a violent jock girl obsessed with punching spirits, but honestly, he wouldn't trade her for the world. "Even if I don't understand half the things she does sometimes." He sits up straighter, frowning. "Like, last Sunday she came over and started grilling me on whether I had a crush on anyone or not, and I still can't figure out what that was all about!"

Johnny makes a choking noise and Max glances over at him, concerned. "Wh- what - why'd she do that?" He stammers, face going even brighter red.

"Beats me!" Max throws his hands up in exasperation. "Then she just ran off and refused to explain."

"Well-" Johnny's got such an air of forced casualness that Max is immediately suspicious. "I mean - d'you? 'm just curious," he adds, hastily. He's back to staring at the floor.

"Nah." Max just shrugs. "That's not really my style." The memory of Stephen's text and the fact that Johnny - of all people - likes someone comes to mind unbidden, and he stamps it back down. It would explain why Johnny's blushing so freaking much right now, though, Max reasons.

"Oh." Johnny sounds like he's just had all the wind knocked out of him, and Max frowns. He's about to ask if he's okay when Isabel pops back up through the trap door, triumphantly holding bags in the air.

"Got it!" She yells, throwing a bag at Max. He catches it automatically and peeks inside. Oh, there's Isaac's corn. "I even managed to get all your toast." She pulls a slice out of another bag and takes a big bite out of it. "It's kinda cold though," Isabel mumbles, spitting crumbs. She crawls the rest of the way inside the tree house, and Ed appears a few seconds later.

"Look what I found!" He crows, waving a box around. Ed blows on it and a cloud of dust envelops him, sending him into a coughing fit. Isabel reaches over and pounds on his back a few times. "Thanks," Ed gasps out. He flips the box around and Max can make out the faded words on the front.

"Clue?" He raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. "Better than Monopoly, I guess. It's gonna be a while 'til my dad gets here," he tells Isabel. "My house is flooding. Again."

"Wow." Isabel sits down in front of him and starts emptying out the bags. "Good thing we grabbed that game then. Hey, Isaac!" She shouts this down the trap door. "Get up here and do your thing!"

Another gust of wind sends clementines skittering across the floor, and Max lunges to catch one before it can roll out of the tree house. "You trying to cosplay as a wind turbine or something?" He says dryly to Isaac when he lands with a dramatic pose. Isaac just rolls his eyes.

"You want popcorn or what?" He challenges, and Max holds his hands up in surrender. He does want popcorn.

"Go long!" Isabel calls around another mouthful of toast, chucking an ear of corn at Isaac with all her strength. He catches it easily. The air suddenly feels heavy, like it does before a storm, and Max can feel static electricity prickling at his skin. A sudden, blinding bolt of lighting lights up the room and he winces, turning away.

Isabel lets out a whoop. "Haha, awesome! I love when you do that." Max turns back to see her scooping up a handful of the popcorn that's now covering the floor and shoveling it into her mouth.

"Okay, but, scientifically, shouldn't that just have destroyed the corn instead of popping it?" Max points out, and she gives him a long-suffering look.

"Max, does it look like I care about science?" Isabel asks, reaching for a clementine and peeling it. He just shakes his head and smiles, and starts helping himself to some floor popcorn, ignoring the questionable cleanliness of the situation.

Ed clears a space and slaps the game box down. "Let's play Clue!"

Max gets a call from his dad forty minutes and two games of Clue later (it was Professor Plum in the conservatory with the lead pipe both times, which Max thought was suspicious). "Oh, I gotta take this." He puts the dice down and scoots away from the board a bit.

"Hi, Mr. Puckett!" Isabel yells at the top of her lungs.

"Hello, Isabel!" His dad yells back, and Max holds the phone out at arm's length.

"I should just put it on speaker if nobody's gonna use their inside voices," he grumbles, pulling the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry, bud." His dad's much quieter now. "Hey, we got the washing machine fixed! Me and Zoey are on our way over now. We'll be there in twenty?" Max hears him ask Zoey something that he can't make out. "Yeah, twenty. How many children am I picking up?"

Max eyes the rest of the Club. They're still playing without him. "Uh, five? Including me."

His dad makes a distressed noise. "I definitely can't fit that many people in the car. Hmm, maybe we can put someone in the trunk,” he says, thoughtfully. There's more vague mumbles from the other side of the line. "No, it's not kidnapping if they come willingly, Zoey."

"It's Colonel Mustard in the library with the knife!" Isaac shouts suddenly, slapping his palm down on the board. The playing pieces scatter everywhere. "Oops." Ed opens the envelope and pulls the cards out, nodding his head, and Isaac throws his hands up victoriously. Max has to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face. "Yeah! Called it!"

"Oh, are you guys playing Clue?" His dad sounds excited. "Bring it with, we can play Extreme Clueopoly!"

"Hey, can we bring this back to my place?" Max covers the speaker and points at the game. "My dad wants to play. He's got this thing where you combine Clue, Monopoly, and Snakes n' Ladders. It's pretty intense."

"How intense can a board game get?" Johnny asks. He's playing with the dice, spinning them around repeatedly.

"Dude, you've been to my family's board game nights before," Max points out. "You see how my dad plays?" He uncovers the phone. "Yeah, we'll bring it with. See you in a bit. Thanks, Dad." He hangs up and casually reaches over and snags the dice from Johnny, 'cuz the plastic's starting to melt. "My dad will be here in like twenty minutes," Max announces to the rest of the Club. "Our car's kinda small, so, uh, it'll be a tight squeeze."

"We could just walk?" Isabel offers. "It'd only be like, forty minutes tops."

"Yeah, but he's already on his way, and he'd get really sad if we left," Max returns, and Isabel makes a vague humming noise. He knows she's seen his dad's best puppy eyes in person before. Zoey gets them from him.

"Okay, then we'll wait." She eyes the game board. "I'd say we could play again if somebody hadn't melted the dice." Johnny just gives her a blank look in return and she sighs. "You - never mind."

Max nudges him. "I can't take you anywhere," he teases, and Johnny flushes and looks away. Max notices Isabel giving them a very ridiculously big grin, and he narrows his eyes at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Isabel says, sweetly. She exchanges a look with Ed and Isaac and starts packing up the game pieces. Max is pretty sure it's not nothing, but he knows pressing her won't do any good. Isabel's a master of not letting things slip.

Max just sighs and helps her put the game away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has a [tvtropes page](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/Ashinyourmouth) now! it's still under construction but feel free to add to it!


	21. kettle on the stove-

“Hey, where’s Isabel?” Max asks with a frown when he enters the Activity Club’s homeroom Monday morning. He’d been running a little late – he’d overslept, because he’d been up all night again talking to PJ – and he’d expected her to start mocking him the minute he’d stepped through the door. "She usually never misses morning patrol."

"Izzy's grounded." Ed pipes up from his spot on the couch. He's slouched all wilted and dejected, like he wants the cushions to swallow him up. "Her grandpa said she's not allowed to do any spectral stuff for the rest of the week."

"What, seriously?" Max can barely believe what he's hearing. That's gotta be like, the worst possible thing you could do to punish Isabel. He imagines just how angry she must be, and he shivers a bit. "Is this 'cuz of..." He trails off awkwardly. "You know."

"Yeah," Ed says morosely, disappearing further into the couch. "He was so mad when we got back from your house I thought he was gonna explode. Then he and Izzy got in a huge fight and he grounded her." Ed lets out a huge sigh. "I told her I wouldn't do any spectral stuff either 'cuz it's not fair but then she said I had to punch spirits twice as hard just for her."

"Wow." Max flops down on the couch next to him. "That sucks."

"Yeah," Ed starts, but he's interrupted by a creaking noise. Max twists around to look over the back of the couch and sees Isaac sitting on Spender's office chair, desperately making a grab for the desk in an attempt to stop the trajectory of his rotation.

"Were you just trying to do a dramatic chair spin?" Max raises an eyebrow. "How long have you been waiting there?"

"I was not," Isaac says shiftily, ignoring the second question. "Hey, where's Johnny?" He adds hastily, changing the subject.

Max shrugs. "Dunno. What am I, his keeper?"

"Yes," Ed and Isaac say at the same time, and Max glares at them.

"I am not!" He protests. "What are you - what does that even mean?"

"You two are always hanging out together," Isaac points out.

"Plus you're like, the only one who can get him to stop being on fire most of the time," Ed says. He pauses for a moment. "I wish I could do that," he adds wistfully. "Last time we were on patrol together he totally KO'ed my homework. It was just like," he mimes sprinkling something, "ash and stuff."

"Well-" Max splutters, at a loss for words. God, why is his face getting so hot? "Why's everyone ganging up on me? Why don't we talk about how Ed's always with RJ?" He points at him, desperately latching onto a way to get the attention shifted off him. Max mentally apologizes to him for throwing him under the bus.

Ed gives him a hurt look. "Hey, RJ's cool. It's nice to have someone to talk to about comics, since like nobody else here reads them. Well, not talk exactly," he backtracks quickly, "but y'know what I mean."

"Besides, we're not talking about Ed." Isaac leans forward and puts his elbows on Spender's desk, steepling his fingers dramatically. "We're talking about you."

"How about we stop talking about me and go on patrol already!" Max says loudly, jumping to his feet. "Y'know what, I think I'll just go by myself!" He storms out of the room, fuming.

He practically stomps down the hallway, eyes fixed on the ground. He doesn't pay any attention to where he's going until he bumps into someone. "Sorry," Max mutters, finally looking up.

"Wow, someone's in a cranky mood today." Violet gives him a sideways look. "What, you been fighting more invisible monsters?"

Max shoots an anxious glance around the hallway. It's mostly empty, thank God, except for a couple of kids further down by their lockers, and he's pretty sure they're too far away to have heard. "Don't talk about it in public!" He hisses, suddenly nervous. This is the first time he's seen Violet since the whole school dance debacle. She said she'd keep quiet, right? She doesn't seem like the type to, Max doesn't know, blackmail him or something, but she is best friends with Lisa, who Max knows from experience is a bona fide master manipulator.

"Like you guys do?" Violet shuts her locker. "Chill," she adds, taking pity on him. Man, he must really look freaked. "I said I wouldn't tell anyone, didn't I?"

"Right," Max says hesitantly, and she rolls her eyes.

"Plus, it's not like anyone'd believe me. I barely even believe it myself." She twists her mouth to the side. "Y'know, everything only started getting weird after you showed up." Max flounders for an answer for that and fails, and she softens slightly. "You going somewhere right now?"

"Not really." Max turns and aims a glare in the direction he came from. "I was just trying to get away from my friends for a bit because they're being super weird." He glances over at Violet briefly. "Weirder than normal."

She snorts and shakes her head, biting back a smile. "I think you need a drink," she says, slapping his back.

"I think I'm a little young to be tempted into alcoholism," Max says back, dryly.

"No, dummy." Violet rolls her eyes again. "I'll buy you something from the school store. Lisa wants to talk to you, anyway."

"Oh. Okay." Now Max is definitely nervous. Nothing good can come out of this. "I thought it was only open during lunch?"

Violet winks at him. "I got best friend perks."

Max doesn't respond to that. He follows her meekly to the store, thoughts racing. What's Lisa want anyway? He vaguely remembers Isabel saying something about her doing magic. Is that a thing? He's still pondering about whether or not he wants wizards to actually exist when Violet stops in front of the store doors and he bounces off her, again.

"Quit doing that." She gives him a mild glare before rapping on the door with her knuckles.

"Sorry," Max mumbles, looking around awkwardly. It's weird being here without seeing Ollie on duty as a bouncer. There's a moment's pause, and then the door swings open with a dramatic creak. Max is pretty sure it didn't do that before.

"Good evening," a voice intones from the darkness, and Lisa pokes her head out, fixing them with her usual unnerving smile. "Just kidding. I know it's 7:52 in the morning." She opens the door wider and beckons them in, and Max has the uncomfortable feeling he's the proverbial spider stepping into the parlour.

Violet puts her hands on her hips and looks around the store. Max follows suit. It's quiet and dark, and vaguely creepy when it's this empty. "Cody's not here today?"

"He's busy." Lisa raises one shoulder and disappears behind her bar.

"Why would Cody be here this early in the morning?" Max asks. His voice seems too loud in the deserted room, and he winces.

"Cody's my little brother." Lisa pops back up, holding a cup full of a glittery pink liquid. "Why else do you think I'd allow a member of the Student Council in here?" She sets the cup down on the counter and bustles elsewhere.

Max blinks. "Wait, what?" He starts counting on his fingers with a frown, trying to figure out how that's possible.

"They're half-siblings," Violet says in response to his increasingly confused expression. She plops down on a stool in front of the bar and pats the empty one next to her, picking up the cup and chugging the pink stuff down.

"Isn't that basically just nepotism?" Max gingerly sits down on the stool. Lisa sidles up to him and pats his cheek.

"Cody and I have an understanding. I let him enter and maybe eavesdrop a bit, and in return he keeps me updated on all of the Student Council's actions." She leans forward with a wink.

"So definitely nepotism then," Max deadpans, leaning back. He almost tips off the stool and makes a desperate grab for the counter. Beside him, Violet chokes on her drink laughing, and he gives her a dour look. "You gonna tell me why you wanna talk to me or what?" He asks Lisa quickly, cheeks burning in embarrassment.

She doesn't respond for a moment, busy fixing another drink. "Here," she says, slapping it down on the wood in front of Max. "Try this. It's new and I need feedback."

Max eyes the plastic cup. Whatever it the drink is, it's bright yellow and fizzling loudly. There's vague shapes floating in it. "You brought me here just to be a food critic?" He asks, dubious.

"No. I'm bribing you, obviously." She gives him a slow, sharp smile, and Max shudders.

"Thanks for your honesty, I guess?" He sighs and takes a sip. Maybe it's actually a witches potion or whatever and it'll turn him into a frog or something, which at this point would actually be an acceptable situation. It's not bad, actually, he thinks in surprise. Kinda tastes like fruit sherbert. "It's good," he announces. "Kinda sour, though."

"Ah, yes." Lisa whisks the cup away and Max watches it disappear out of sight mournfully. "You and your sweet tooth."

"Hey!" Max protests, face flushing again. "Who told you about that?" Lisa just gives him another wink and taps her temple. "Oh."

Lisa procures another drink for Violet. "The reason I want to talk to you," she starts, steepling her fingers, and Max swallows. "Is because you're doing a very bad job keeping secrets."

"Excuse me?"

She starts holding up fingers one by one. "This is how many people you've let in on the fact that spirits exist," Lisa says, shoving her hand into his face.

"How do you-" He shoots a glance at Violet, who just shrugs and shakes her head.

"Max, please." She lowers her hand and gives him a demure smile. "I know everything that goes on in this school. Violet didn't have to tell me anything." The smile drops. "Which is why I'm a little bit miffed at you. I deal in information, and you're out here spreading it around for free. You're rusting my iron fist."

"I, uh, don't think that's a real expression?" Max shifts a bit in his seat, wondering if he should just call it quits and run away right now. Lisa just waves a dismissive hand.

"My point is - stop it. Button your mouth, zip your lips, whatever. Or I'll do it for you."

Max blinks and starts sweating. "Is that a threat?" Is he going to end up in a barrel at the bottom of the lake?

She shrugs one shoulder. "If you want it to be. Now, on to the other thing," she continues, and Max bites back a groan. There's more? "Johnny." She says this very flatly. "Get him under control. I can't run my business if I don't have a place to run it out of, and I'm worried he's going to burn this building down one of these days."

Max opens his mouth to ask how she knows about Johnny being a spectral, but then stops and shuts it. With the amount of times Johnny's set himself on fire in public, he's surprised half the school doesn't know by now. "Well, why's that my job?" He protests, and Lisa and Violet exchange glances. "Don't you start being weird about it either," he threatens, throwing his hands up in exasperation. What is up with everyone today?

"Max." Violet drains the rest of her drink and sets the cup down on the counter, very deliberately. "Have you ever considered that you might be having...feelings?"

He blinks again and furrows his brows. "Of course I have feelings?" He starts, confused. "I'm a human being, not a robot."

"No, I mean-" She stops when Lisa puts a hand on her shoulder and shakes her head. "Oh, forget it," she mutters into her empty cup.

"Moving on!" Lisa says brightly before Max can ask what just happened. "You'll take care of this, right?"

"I guess," Max grumbles, and her eyes narrow.

"Should I remind you that technically you're in my employ?" She asks sweetly. "Or, perhaps, that I hold some...should we say, sensitive information...about you?" Okay, that last bit definitely has an undercurrent of malice to it. "The Vice Principal is still looking for the bus jumper, after all."

"Wha- still?" He bursts out. "That was like two months ago! Why can't she drop it? Not to, uh, not to say I'm the bus jumper," Max adds hastily in response to Violet's suspicious look. She just makes a skeptical noise.

Lisa pats his shoulder. "She takes her job very seriously. As do I."

"Don't you dare wink at me again." Max holds up a finger and sighs in defeat. "Fine, I'm on it."

The bell rings suddenly, the shrillness cutting through the tense atmosphere. "Hey," Violet says after it’s faded, "you know your class schedule for this tri?"

"Uh, yeah." Max pulls his backpack off and sets it on the counter, rummaging through it. "I got the note in here somewhere - oh, found it." He pulls out a crumpled wad of paper and flattens it out. "Let's see...English, science, art, lunch, social studies, math-" He cuts off and stares at the last entry with a frown. "Shop class? What is this, the 18th century?"

"It's on an alternating schedule with home ec," Lisa points out. "I think you'll like it."

"Maybe," Max says dubiously. He has a sudden, vivid memory of his mom in her workshop, welding, and he has to bite his lip 'cuz his throat's super tight for some reason. He notices Violet giving him a weird look and he shakes it head, hopping off the stool. "Well, it's been fun," he deadpans, "but I gotta run." Ah geez, he'd just rhymed.

"Hey, hold on a sec." Violet stands up as well. "I have English first period too. I'll walk with you."

"Uh, okay." Max stands awkwardly by the door as she waves goodbye to Lisa. "She really scares me," he confesses in a low tone when they're safely out in the hallway. "How're you guys even friends?"

"We've been best friends since kindergarten." Violet shrugs. "Nobody wanted to be her friend 'cuz they thought she was too weird, and nobody wanted to be my friend 'cuz they thought I was too mean, so we just kinda ended up with each other. I think she's great." She says that last part with emphasis, eyeing Max.

"Oh," is all Max says, and they walk in strained silence for a bit.

"Okay, I know I said I wouldn't ask," Violet bursts out when they're about ten feet away from Mr. Starchman's door, "but have you always, y'know, been like...this?" She makes a vague hand-waving motion.

"You just gestured to all of me," Max says dryly, stopping outside the door.

"You know what I mean." She frowns at him. "The - the superpowers or the monster fighting or - whatever the heck it is you guys do."

"It's a funny story, actually. I used to be a perfectly normal kid 'til I moved to this weirdo town." Max doesn't elaborate, and Violet looks like she wants to ask another question. She shakes her head instead and walks into class, Max trailing after her. He spots Ed sitting up front and snags the empty desk next to him.

"Oh, hey, Max!" Ed brightens up. "You ran out so fast this morning I didn't get a chance to ask if we had any classes together."

"Uh...sorry?" Max busies himself pulling school supplies out of his backpack, ignoring the way his ears start burning when he thinks about what happened earlier.

"It's cool. Hey, I gotta tell ya something." Ed casts a furtive glance around and then leans across the aisle conspiratorially. "Izzy told me she can't make it to that lecture or whatever tonight, 'cuz of the whole grounding thing, so I'm coming instead." 

Max drops his pencil and leans down to grab it. "Oh, shoot, that's tonight? I totally forgot." He bangs his head on the underside of the desk on his way up and glares at it, rubbing the sore spot. "Ow."

"Y'know, I've listened to Dr. Ectoplasm's podcast a coupla times myself," Ed says proudly. "He's actually right about some things about spirits. Hey, I wonder if he's a spectral?" He taps his chin with his paintbrush, leaving a smear of black ink.

"I hope not," Max grumbles, feeling cranky. "I've met enough spectrals to last me a-" The bell rings loudly and he shuts up. Mr. Starchman comes bounding into the room, throwing confetti. A piece of it nails Max right in the eye and he sighs, resigning himself for a long, long day.

He runs into Isabel in both his art class - and she _is_ very angry about being grounded, judging by how aggressively she’s slapping her clay sculpture together - and lunch. Isaac's got the same lunch as them too, so they almost have the whole Club together. Max makes it to last period without seeing Johnny once, which is - well, he's kinda disappointed. Big change from the beginning of the school year, he thinks wryly.

He gets lost twice on his way to shop class, because it's tucked in some super out-of-the-way corner that everyone seems to have forgotten about. Max slides in two seconds before the bell rings and grabs the nearest empty stool, sneezing when he's enveloped in a cloud of sawdust.

"Gesundheit," an amused voice says, and Max looks up to see Dimitri sitting on the other side of the table. He gives him a lazy wave. "Hey."

"Oh, hey." Max glances around the rest of the class. He doesn't recognize anyone else. Okay, well a few people he thinks he knows by sight, if not by name, but that's debatable. He's kinda bad with faces. "What's up?"

"Not much." Dimitiri gives a small shrug. "How was Anti-Thanksgiving with the new guy?"

"You know-" Max starts, startled, and Dimitri rests his chin on his hand with a smirk.

"He sets himself on fire and he's always hanging out with you guys," he drawls. "I'd say it was pretty obvious. Never seen gray energy before," he muses.

Max just shuts his mouth and dips his head. Of course Dimitri figured it out. Max is pretty sure he knew about him being a spectral from his very first day in Mayview, and he wonders what else Dimitri doesn't let on about. "It was pretty rocky," he says in response to the earlier question. "Johnny got in a fight with Isabel's grandpa and then we played Clue in a tree house for like an hour."

"Wow." Dimitri's eyebrows go up. "Sounds like I missed all the fun."

"Hey." Max leans across the table. "Why don't you ever hang out with us? I mean, I know you're not part of the Club anymore, but-"

"I don't like talking about it," Dimitri interrupts, and there's a hardness in his lazy tone that makes Max pause. What had Isaac done to him, anyway? Max never really asked, because he generally doesn't like to pry, and nobody's ever offered any details. 

"Sorry," he starts, but he's interrupted by a familiar booming voice behind him.

"Alright, babies, everyone sit down and shut up!" Max turns and watches Coach Oop sweep into the room and squeeze himself behind the comically small desk.

"He's the gym teacher and the shop teacher?" He whispers to Dimitri, who just shrugs and nods. "Huh." Max faces the front again. He's a little surprised to see Johnny trailing in after the coach, a huge stack of paper in his hands. He lights up when he sees Max, shooting him a familiar, sharky grin. Max gives him a tiny wave in return.

"First rule of shop class is this!" Coach Oop bellows from up front, scribbling a word in huge letters on the chalkboard. "Safety!" He underlines the word violently. "My TA here," he points at Johnny, and Max blinks, "is going to pass out a packet of rules, and we're all going to read it very quietly!" He shouts the last two words, and someone out in the hall closes the door.

Max watches Johnny as he makes his way around the room. "Wow, teacher's assistant," he teases when he gets to their table, "very glamorous."

Johnny flushes a bit. "Well, I - I just -" He slams a packet down in front of Max and then hands one to Dimitri nicely. "I was supposed 'ta have study hall this period but that's boring and I really like buildin' things so I asked the coach if I could help out and he said sure so - so here I am." The words all fall out in a jumble and Max holds his hands up like they're a shield.

"Woah, slow down." He digs a pencil out of his backpack and writes his name on the top of the packet. "I was just kinda surprised to see you here. Thought we wouldn't end up having any classes together this trimester and I was, well." Max rubs his cheek awkwardly with the eraser. "I was kinda disappointed." He looks back up to see Johnny staring at him. "What?"

Johnny jumps like he's just been stung. "Nothin'!" He blurts. "I just - I gotta go hand the rest of these out!" He turns around and walks away quickly, face red.

Dimitri lets out a snort and Max cuts a look at him. He's bent over, focusing on his packet, but Max can still see a smirk on his face. He decides he's not going to question it, because he's tired of people being cryptic today, and starts reading his own papers.

Johnny gets back somewhere around the RULES FOR USING A BLOWTORCH section, which Max finds vaguely alarming. They're not seriously going to let middle-schoolers handle something like that, right? Max glances up to find him glaring at the kid seated next to him at the table. "Scoot," Johnny demands.

"Behave!" Max hisses, socking him with moderate force in the shoulder. "Get your own stool." He points to an abandoned cluster of them in the corner of the room, and Johnny slinks away. He returns a few seconds later, hoisting a stool over his head, and Max has to roll his eyes. "You're seriously the worst," he says without much venom as Johnny sets the stool down next to him and parks himself on it. Johnny just shrugs.

Max speed-reads the rest of the rules. He's kinda sweaty now 'cuz Johnny's sitting super close to him, and he's got the heat turned all the way up today for whatever reason. He nudges him under the table with his foot. "Geez, can ya turn it down a bit? I'm going to melt over here."

"Uh, sorry." Johnny scoots the stool back a bit with a loud scraping noise, and several people turn to stare at him, then quickly lower their heads when they realize who they're looking it. "It's kinda hard t'control sometimes," he mutters.

"You're going to set yourself on fire again," Dimitri says without looking up, and Johnny eyes him sharply.

" 'scuse me?" Johnny demands loudly, and Coach Oop makes an aggressive shushing noise. "What are ya talkin' bout?" He says this much more quietly.

"Dimitri used to be part of the Club," Max cuts in quickly. "Before I got here." Dimitri finally tears his gaze away from the packet and gives Johnny a casual smile and salute.

"What, seriously?" Johnny sounds incredulous. "How many of ya weirdos are there?"

"Hey!" Max elbows him in the side, slightly offended.

"No, I don't - I don't mean you're weird," Johnny stutters, heat cranking back up. "I just, uh. Um."

"Chill, I'm kidding." Max shots him a lopsided grin. "I just think it's kinda funny 'cuz you basically indirectly insulted yourself."

"Oh. Okay." He sounds kinda nervous, turning back to Dimitri. "What're your powers?"

"Don't ask," Dimitri and Max says simultaneously. Max has only seen Dimitri use them once, and that'd been more than enough for him, because _Jesus Christ_ that had been horrifying. "Oh, hey." He snaps his fingers. "I gotta tell you something."

"Yeah?" Johnny sounds even more nervous, and Max frowns.

"Relax, it's nothing bad. Well, kinda?" He glances around the table before leaning in. Everyone else is still deeply involved in reading the various shop class rules and regulations. "Isabel can't make it to that lecture tonight after all, so Ed's coming instead. That gonna be okay with Stephen?"

"Yeah, probably. I can text him." His hand goes to his jeans pocket.

"Okay, that's enough reading!" Coach Oop yells from the front of the room, and Max starts a bit. "Now we're gonna do some demonstrations! Johnny, get on up here!"

Johnny jumps to his feet. "Gotta go," he says, face apologetic.

Max props his elbows up on the table and presses his cheeks into his palms. "Well, go get 'em, tiger," he says lightly, and Johnny turns even brighter red and scuttles away. 

"You're gonna kill him one of these days," Dimitri deadpans, and Max lifts an eyebrow at him.

"Uh...with what?" He's genuinely confused.

"Wow, Isabel was right." Dimitri sounds like he wants to start laughing, and whatever Max is going to say to that is interrupted by the sound of a power saw turning on.

"Everyone get over here!" Coach Oop bellows over the sound of a saw chewing up wood. "But don't stand too close!" There's a general scraping of stools as the class stands up and clusters around the saw. Max ends up next to Johnny and bumps him with his shoulder.

"You ever used one of those before?" He has to raise his voice to be heard. Shouldn't they have ear protection or something?

"Yeah!" Johnny yells back. "I know how t'use all the tools here!" He elbows Max. "Hey, I can be your tutor or somethin'."

Max snorts and bites back a smile, mouth twitching. "Sure. I'd like that." He says the last few words very loudly into the sudden silence, because Coach Oop had apparently just turned the saw off, and now everyone in the class is staring at him. He feels his face go red in embarrassment and looks at the floor. Lots of sawdust down there. Very interesting.

"Moving on!" Coach Oop ushers them to the next station, and Max has never been more grateful for his lung strength. 

He resolves to keep his mouth shut for the rest of class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catch me slam-dunking the "lisa and cody are related" fan theory into this fic at lightning speed


	22. -lobster in the pot

Johnny's in the teacher's lounge using the copier to make stuff for class tomorrow - a sweet perk of being a TA means getting access to restricted areas, which is doubly nice when they're deserted like they are right now - when the end of the day bell rings. Coach Oop had sent him out of the shop room about twenty minutes earlier with a big stack of papers and conscripted Max to be his temporary assistant instead, so he hadn't gotten a chance to ask about the plan for tonight. He'd already texted Stephen about Ed coming instead of Isabel. Stephen hadn't been too happy about it, but he'd grudgingly said it was fine.

The last piece of paper spits itself out of the copier and he shuts the machine off, awkwardly picking up the huge pile of papers and carrying them over the counter. Johnny's pretty sure he can staple and text at the same time. He thinks. He drops the pile with a loud thump and pulls out his phone, picking up the stapler with his other hand.

**> kingpin (3:12):** hey guys im in the teachers lounge  
**> kingpin (3:12):** all official like  
**> kingpin (3:13):** get over here ill sneak ya in

He puts it down while he waits for a response because multitasking is turning out to be way harder than expected. A sudden flash of movement catches his eye, and he looks up just in time to see Max walking past the open door. Johnny promptly accidentally staples himself and he curses, dropping the stapler. It bounces off his phone and they both fall to the ground with a clatter. His phone skitters behind the counter and he swears again, dropping flat on his stomach and fishing around for it with his non-stapled hand.

"Thought I heard a sailor in here." Max's voice sounds from above him and Johnny jumps, narrowly avoiding banging his head against the counter. "You lose something?" He crouches down next to him and Johnny looks up, then immediately looks back down, 'cuz Max has got this little amused smile on his face and it's really cute and Johnny absolutely cannot handle it right now.

"Uh, yeah." He clears his throat awkwardly. "My phone." He points at the crack between the wall and the counter. "I can't reach it."

"Here, lemme try. My hands are smaller." Max lies down next to them and their shoulders touch and Johnny scrambles to his feet like he's just been burned. Might as well be with how hot his face is all of a sudden, he thinks dourly. Max gives him a weird look.

"Just, uh, givin' ya room." Johnny swings for casual and misses completely ‘cuz his stupid voice shoots up one octave higher than usual.

"If you say so," Max says dryly. He frowns, straining to reach the phone. "Ugh. I can't get it. Oh, hold on." His eyes light up suddenly. "I got an idea." He gets back up to his knees and pulls his bat out of his bag, then pauses. "Phones have metal in them, right?"

"I think so?" Johnny eyes the bat a bit nervously. "Y'sure you know what you're doin'? I don't want my phone broken."

"Wow, you have so little faith in me." Max shoots him a mock hurt look, and Johnny knows it's fake, but he still wants to apologize anyway. God, what is it about Max that makes the logical part of his brain shut off whenever he's around? He shakes his head violently, trying to clear his thoughts, and watches Max. He's holding the bat out, a look of concentration on his face. Nothing happens for a few seconds, and then his phone rockets out at light speed. Max ducks, just barely avoiding getting whacked in the face.

Johnny watches as it proceeds to zoom out of the room and disappear down the hallway. He just looks at Max.

"Okay, well, it's out," Max says, defensively. "Which is what you wanted, right?" He sighs. "I'll go get it."

"No, it's fine-" Johnny starts, but he's interrupted by RJ bounding into the room on all fours, bowling both of them over. Stephen runs in a few seconds later and skids to a stop in front of them, teetering slightly.

"Aw, man!" Stephen complains loudly, hands on his hips. "When you said sneak I was expectin’, y'know," he mimes a karate chop and follows it up with a high kick, "getting to do some ninja stuff. But the door was literally wide open." He gestures at the doorway. Ollie's standing in it, looking unimpressed.

"Sorry," Johnny mumbles around a mouthful of RJ's hoodie. "I got, uh, caught up in something." He nudges RJ. "Can ya get off me, bro?"

"Yeah, can we please all get off me?" Max wheezes from where he's crushed under the combined weight of 1/2 the Jang. "My spine is about to snap."

Johnny practically upends RJ onto the floor in his haste to stand up. Stephen blinks down at Max. "Wow, I didn't even see you down there. Aren't you too much of a goody two-shoes to be in here without permission?"

"Okay, for your information-" Max starts, grabbing onto Johnny's hand and using it to haul himself to his feet, "-I am a rebel at heart." He puts his other hand over his chest. "Plus I've been in here before, so..." He trails off and lifts up Johnny's hand, squinting at it. "Dude, did you staple yourself? You're bleeding on me."

"Uh." Johnny looks down. "I forgot about that." He casually pulls the staple out and flicks it away, ignoring Max's grossed-out face. It doesn't really hurt, and it's not bleeding enough to need a bandaid, so he's just gonna ignore it.

"How did you- never mind, I don't want to know." Max eyes the four of them. "Don't tell me, you guys were the kids in elementary school who tried to staple their hands to the desk." There's an extremely awkward silence as the Jang all pointedly avoid looking at each other, and Max shakes his head. "I don't know why I asked." He pulls out his phone and checks the time. "Hey, I gotta go find Ed. We'll meet you in the courtyard at uh...five? That work?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, ignoring Stephen sighing behind him

"Sweet." Max gives him a smile and Johnny feels his heart skip a couple beats. "See ya," he calls, squeezing past Ollie out the door and disappearing down the hall.

"Man, I don't know why we gotta take that nerd Ed," Stephen complains as soon as Max is out of earshot. "At least Guerra is cool." He bounces over to the copier, flipping up the cover. "Hey, RJ, gimme something to copy." He ducks as RJ hurls a book at him. "Maybe something a lil' smaller."

"Hey, dude," Ollie calls, distracting him from Stephen and RJ's shenanigans. "Catch." He throws something at him and Johnny holds his arm up automatically, catching it easily. "Found your phone in the hall," Ollie says, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Yeah, 'cuz Max chucked it out there with his bat." He pockets it. "Thanks." There's a sudden silence as all his friends turn to look at him. "What?" He demands.

"What's up with you and him anyway?" Stephen bursts out, taking a break from copying the bottom of a shoe RJ'd found in the corner.

"Whattaya - nothin's up!" Johnny protests, feeling his face start burning again.

"Still? Lame." Stephen turns back to the copier and it starts spitting paper onto the floor. "You gotta put some moves on him or something."

"I do not!" Johnny practically yells. A couple of kids passing by in the hall stop and look in through the door. Ollie just glowers at them and they skitter away quickly. " 'sides," he mutters, scuffing the ground, "I already told ya guys he told me he doesn't do that kinda stuff." Max had said that so bluntly, completely oblivious to the fact that he was metaphorically breaking Johnny's heart, and he's kinda mad at himself for feeling that way. It's not like Max owes him anything. And besides, they can still be friends, right? So he's been trying to get over this stupid crush, but it's been way, way harder than Johnny'd been expecting, because every time he sees Max he just - he doesn't know. Melts, probably, but that sounds dumb and mushy.

He glances up, suddenly realizing he's been staring at the ground for a solid minute and a half. His friends are all giving him looks of mixed concern and pity, and Johnny has to bite back the anger that comes rising up. "Forget it!" He says, loudly. "I gotta finish this stuff anyway." He wades through the small ocean of photocopied shoes to the counter and goes back to aggressively stapling in stony silence. 

"I'm just sayin'," Stephen says, hopping up on the counter next to him. "Just 'cuz he said that doesn't mean you don't still have a chance, 'cuz people change their minds, y'know-"

"Stephen, come off it," Ollie says gruffly from the door, and Johnny shoots him a grateful glance. "He doesn't wanna talk about it."

"Alright, alright, fine." Stephen holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I'll shut up."

Johnny staples the last packet together. "Thanks," he says quietly. "Hey." He looks up and forces a grin. "I need t'drop these off in the shop room anyway, so who wants to go mess with the power tools?"

"Me!" Stephen yells, launching himself off the counter. He slips on a piece of paper and pinwheels wildly. RJ lunges forward, shoving him upright. "Thanks. Hey," he starts, face taking on a wicked expression, "last one there's a rotten egg!" He bolts out of the lounge, RJ nanosecends behind.

"Stephen, RJ, you get yer butts back in here right now an' clean up this mess!" Johnny shouts after them, pointing at the floor. The only answer he gets is the fading echo of Stephen's whoop. Johnny just sighs and kicks at a pile of paper.

"Here, I'll help." Ollie crosses over to him and crouches down, picking up papers.

"Thanks," Johnny says again, taking a stack from Ollie and tossing it in the recycling bin. He notices Ollie eyeing him kinda funny, and he gives him a little frown. "What?"

Ollie doesn't say anything for a bit, just keeps cleaning up. Johnny can tell he's thinking carefully about what he's going to say. He's seen him do it often enough during scraps with rival gangs, since Ollie’s just as good at being diplomatic as he is at punching things. "Are you doing okay?" He asks finally, looking Johnny dead in the eyes.

He has to look away. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Johnny." Ollie's tone isn't mean or disappointed, but it is firm, the kind of we've-been-best-friends-since-we-were-three-years-old-so-don't-lie-to-me voice he pulls out on rare occasions to devastating effect.

It works now, like it always has in the past. "It's just..." He trails off. "It's been weird. These whole past two months. And it's like, it's exciting sometimes? And fun, 'cuz I get t'fight stuff. I dunno. Everyone else gets cool powers an' stuff and I'm still-" Johnny bites his lip angrily, snatching a piece of paper off the ground and crumpling it into a ball. It starts smoking and he drops it hastily.

"Still what?" Ollie prompts gently, like he already knows what he's going to say.

"I'm still scared of mine!" Johnny bursts out, clenching his fists. "And I can't control 'em, no matter what, and I can't talk t'my stupid spirit like everyone else does 'cuz he won't let me and he's just - it feels like he's just usin' me and I hate it! I hate him!" He drops down to the floor and picks up another paper, ripping it into pieces with violent, jerky movements.

Ollie just regards him for a moment. The only sound in the room is the tearing of paper. "Does anyone know about this?" He asks into the silence.

"Max kinda knows," Johnny admits. He drops the paper and watches the pieces flutter to the floor. "But I can't talk t'him without sounding like a stupid idiot 'cuz it's like my brain stops workin' around him. And I think Isabel might've figured it out. I dunno about the others." He vaguely recalls Max saying something about Isaac also having problems with his spirit, but no way he's gonna ask the ginger for advice. He groans in frustration and buries his face in his hands. " 'm not used t'havin' problems I can't solve by punchin' stuff," he mutters.

Ollie doesn't say anything, just pats him comfortingly on the back. Johnny sighs and raises his head, eyeing the clock. It's almost four. "Let's go find RJ and Stephen," he says, getting to his feet. He and Ollie dump the last few papers into the recycling and Johnny makes sure to grab his freshly stapled packets before they leave the teachers lounge. He’s careful to turn off the light and shut the door. Don't wanna lose his TA position, Johnny thinks, and it's definitely not just because then he wouldn't have any classes with Max this trimester.

Stephen and RJ are using the power saw to cut up a broom when he and Ollie get there. Johnny just shrugs and allows it, dropping his papers on Coach Oop's desk. He's got his own project he can tinker on for an hour, anyway. He's so engrossed in it that he doesn't notice Stephen talking to him 'til he slaps his back. Johnny jumps a bit, dropping the piece he'd been holding. "Dude, I called your name like seven times." Stephen points at the clock. "It's after five. We gotta go."

"Aw, damn." Johnny hastily shovels his stuff into his backpack and slings it on. He checks his phone real quick. There's a couple missed texts from Max. "Alright, let's hustle."

"Have fun with your ghost doctor," Ollie calls after them, raising his voice to be heard over the whir of a drill. RJ waves the hammer they're holding in goodbye, and Johnny gives a quick wave back before ducking out the classroom.

"Man, I'm so excited!" Stephen's skipping a little. "Hey, do you think he'd give me an autograph?" He stops suddenly, eyes wide in horror. "I don't have any paper on me!"

"It's cool." Johnny gestures at his backpack. Stephen’d already stashed his tickets in there earlier for safekeeping. "I got a notebook in here."

"You're a lifesaver." Stephen grabs his shoulders and shakes him a bit, then goes back to skipping. "I seriously love this guy, like you don't even know." He turns around so he's facing Johnny, skipping backwards now. "Hey, you heard about the crime wave going on?"

"What kinda crimes?" Johnny hasn't heard anything about it, but Stephen's the one who's got an old police scanner he'd filched from his mom that he uses to snoop on investigations.

"Well," Stephen scratches his neck, "small fry stuff. Like vandalism and y'know, thefts an' stuff. But there's been a lot more of it lately. The police think it's some weirdo turf war goin' on with the high schoolers, but get this." He holds both his pointer fingers up. "Dr. Ectoplasm's got this theory that it has to do with the influence of ghosts. He says then can posses you and make you do stuff you don't want." He blanches a bit. "Not that I'm, uh, not that I'm suggesting you have anything to do with this stuff," Stephen fumbles. "I mean, you did burn that house down, but that was an accident, so, y'know..."

Johnny just makes a noncommittal noise. "Yeah, that Ectoplasm guy said something like that when me an' Max were at the mall last month." He eyes Stephen. "If he's so famous, what's he doin' in a dinky lil' place like Mayview?"

"His passion is investigating places like this." Stephen shrugs. "That's the motto for his podcast. 'Small town mysteries, big time stakes'." He pans his hands out, quoting it. He turns back around and shoves his way out of the school's front doors, slamming it directly into Ed.

"Ow," he complains, rubbing his nose. "Geez, would it kill ya guys to watch where you're going once in a while?"

Stephen just shrugs. 

"Sorry," Johnny says quickly, apologizing for him, 'cuz Max is frowning at them.

"Took you long enough to get here." He looks at the time. "We're not gonna be late, are we?"

"Nah, it's fine," Stephen says breezily. He's bouncing a bit on his toes, ready to explode from excitement.

"If you say so." Max sounds dubious. "So, uh. Probably should've asked this earlier, but where's this lecture at?" There's a silence as everyone looks at Stephen, whose face first blanks and then turns to panic. "Wha- you don't know?" Max bursts out. "You're the one with the tickets!"

"Hey!" Stephen barks back, defensive. "Chill out. It's on his website, alright? I'll look it up." He pulls out his phone and Johnny leans over to peer at the screen.

"Says ya gotta be thirteen to enter," he points out.

Stephen snorts. "Like that's ever stopped us before."

"Here, I'll do it." Ed interjects, reaching out and pressing a button on the screen. He blinks as everyone turns to look at him. "What?"

"You're thirteen?" Max sounds incredulous. "What, did you have a birthday and not tell me?"

"Nah, I just repeated a grade." He shrugs. "Did first grade all over again when I first moved here to live with Izzy's grandpa, 'cuz a buncha people told him I was probably emotionally traumatized from my parents disappearing and that I should be in the same grade as Izzy so we'd be friends faster." He scuffs the ground. "Gonna be fourteen in a few months."

There's an extremely awkward silence. "Um...are you?" Max asks, tentatively.

"What, emotionally traumatized?" Ed adjusts his glasses slightly. "Probably. I don't really like talking about it."

"Got it!" Stephen crows, completely oblivious to the mood. "It's at the high school. That's like a five minute walk from here." He punches Max in the shoulder. "Told ya it'd be fine." He wheels around and starts skipping down the sidewalk.

"Wow, he's really excited," Max says flatly, rubbing his arm.

"Yeah." Johnny watches his friend for a bit before heading after him, minus the skipping. "He's a big fan of this guy."

"Oh, me too!" Ed scrambles after them, brightening up. "Well, not _big_ big. More like moderately big. I just think he's neat," he protests when Max and Johnny look at him.

"Dude, he chased me and Johnny all over the freaking mini mall, remember?" Max points out. "Plus there was that weird machine he had. How would it know Johnny's a medium?" He crosses his arms. "I don't trust him. He's probably up to something."

Ed's face falls. "Maybe. But what would he want in Mayview?"

"Same thing the Consortium wants, maybe?" Max suggests. "That weird mummy lady I met on the Ghost Train mission was trying to get me to spy on Spender. And you gotta admit, he's been acting even more suspicious than usual lately."

"Yeah," Ed starts, glumly. "He doesn't even give us missions anymore, and he's barely ever there when we do patrols. Izzy's-"

"I think you guys are just makin' words up now," Johnny interrupts loudly, feeling left out. " 'm feelin' very alienated by all these concepts ya just dropped."

Max snorts, mouth twitching like he wants to smile, and Johnny feels himself start blushing despite his best efforts. "It's-"

"Hey!" Stephen hollers from further down the road. "Hurry up, ya slowpokes!" He's stopped at a crosswalk, glaring impatiently at them. Mayview High School's right on the other side of the road, all beat up brown brick and faded paint murals. It's a far cry from the Academy. There's already a steady stream of people moving across the courtyard and trickling in through the doors.

"We're comin'!" Johnny yells back, walking faster. They just barely beat the timer across the road. Stephen pounds up the pavement and disappears inside.

"Hey." Max bumps him with my shoulder. "Come over to my place after this, and I'll explain everything, okay?"

"Uh - sure," Johnny stutters out. He knows his face is bright red now and he breaks away from Max and Ed, running after Stephen. He elbows his way through the crowd, getting a few disapproving tuts, and yanks the high school's doors open. Stephen's standing just inside, a huge grin on his face.

"This is so awesome!" He squeals, practically vibrating from excitement. Johnny blinks and looks around. He's pretty sure they're in the auditorium foyer. He's been in the high school once or twice on class trips. There's tables set up along the walls, piled high with books and T-shirts and other merchandise. "Oh!" Stephen slaps his arm. "Check it out, free raffle! I gotta go enter."

Johnny watches him dart off, smiling a bit. This isn't really his scene, but it's nice to see Stephen so happy. Someone pushes him from behind and he whirls around, moving into fight mode.

"Geez, it's just me!" Max exclaims, holding up his hands, and Johnny drops his own fists immediately. "Don't stand in front of the door."

"Oh. Sorry." He does an awkward side shuffle.

"Wow," Max says when they're all tucked into a corner, surveying the crowd, "bigger turn out than I thought."

"Hey!" Ed pipes up, pointing at a table. "Free raffle!" He looks like he's about to head towards it when Stephen comes bounding back up.

"Guess who just entered that thing like four times." Stephen points a finger at his chest. "This guy! I used yours and RJ's and Ollie's numbers too, so if one of you gets a call, it's for me," he tells Johnny before checking the time. "Oh geez, it's almost six. We gotta go sit down." He ushers them over to the auditorium doors. There's a couple of volunteers standing in front of it, checking people's tickets.

"Hey," Johnny says suddenly, holding still while Stephen unzips his backpack and rifles through it for the tickets, "I just thought of somethin'. What if he's got that weird machine with him again?"

"I was thinking about that," Max admits. He looks at Ed. "I think it's got a limited range? If we sat in the back we'd probably be fine."

Stephen pauses with his arm still in Johnny's backpack. "I wanna sit up front!" He protests.

"Yeah, me too," Ed chimes in, dejectedly. 

Max sighs and closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I guess you two can if you want. I think his device or whatever only picks up on mediums, so you should be fine? Me and Johnny can sit in the back," Max adds, looking at him, and Johnny internally starts panicking at the thought of being alone with Max in a dark auditorium.

Stephen finally finds the tickets and pulls his hand out, zipping up the bag. "I'm not lettin' you monopolize my friend," he threatens, pointing at Max with the slips of paper.

"I am trying to compromise!" Max exclaims in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Hey, kids!" Someone yells from behind them. "You're holding up the line!"

They all awkwardly shuffle forward. Stephen hands the tickets over to the ushers, and they file inside the auditorium. "I guess we can sit in the back," he grumbles, starting up the stairs. They snag an empty row in the very back. Well, mostly empty. There's a ghost sitting in one of the seats. She gives Johnny a polite wave and moves over so they can all sit together. He hesitantly waves back.

The auditorium's a lot bigger than he remembers, Johnny thinks, looking out over the room. It's jam packed. There's a microphone and a stool on the stage, bottle of water sitting on the floor beside them. A projector screen's pulled down at the back, a slideshow of various cryptids playing. "How much are regular tickets for this thing?" He mutters to Stephen, leaning across the armrest.

"Eighty bucks!" Stephen settles back happily and puts his feet up on the seat in front of him. "But we got in free!" He's got a smug smile on his face, and Johnny knows he's mentally calling the rest of the audience suckers. 

"I didn't realize paranormal investigation was such a lucrative business," Max says dryly from Johnny's left. "How come we don't get paid?" He asks Ed, who just shrugs.

"Shh!" Stephen hisses, reaching across Johnny to bat at Max. "Shut up! It's starting!" Max glowers back but shuts up. The house lights dim, and there's a murmur from the crowd. A string of violin notes float out from somewhere.

"Really? He's got his own theme music?" Max whispers in Johnny's ear, and he practically chokes trying to hold back his laugh. He's about to say something back when a spotlight appears on the stage and the audience cheers. A tall, thin man walks out from the wings of the stage and takes a bow. Johnny can recognize him from the mall even from this distance.

"Thank you!" Dr. Ectoplasm booms into the microphone, dropping into another bow. "I can't tell you how charmed and delighted I am to be back in Mayview! A picturesque town that's the model of tranquility! Or at least," his voice drops, and the crowd takes in a bated breath, "that's how it appears on the surface." He snaps his fingers and new slideshow starts playing on the projector screen. Johnny sneaks a glance at Stephen. He's leaning slightly forward, totally engrossed.

"Mayview may appear peaceful," Dr. Ectoplasm continues, pointing to the picture of the town on the screen, "but it's full of turmoil!" The slide flips to another picture of Mayview, only in black and white. The crowd gasps. "I know for a fact that ghosts and other supernatural creatures are infesting this town, because I have built a machine that is able to detect them!" He digs in his pocket and pulls out the same weird remote thing he'd had back at the mall. Johnny feels Max stiffen slightly beside him.

"I really hope we're out of range," he mutters nervously. "There's no way we'd be able to ditch him in this place."

"I don't think it's on." Johnny points at the machine's antennae. The light bulb is out. Max breathes a tiny sigh of relief, but his response is interrupted by the man on the stage.

"Yes, my friends!" He holds the device up and pauses dramatically. "And I myself have encountered two young children possessed by vile spirits! Pity them, for they cannot be held accountable for the crimes they commit!" There's a sad-sounding murmur from the crowd. Max and Johnny exchange a glance.

Dr. Ectoplasm keeps talking, but Johnny's zoned out by now. He mentions something about a crime wave, and the police, and then he's back to talking about how awful spirits are. He shoots a glance at the ghost in their aisle. She seems horrified, and Johnny wonders if that means she agrees with Dr. Ectoplasm or not. He's dimly aware of Max and Ed looking increasingly worried.

"Johnny - hey, Johnny." Max shakes his shoulder and he snaps back into reality.

"Huh - wha?" He slurs, slightly dazed. Had he fallen asleep? He takes a quick look around. The auditorium's emptying out, people filing out the doors in neat rows. "It's over?"

"Yeah." Max sounds amused. "You were spaced out for like, the last hour and a half. Stephen just left to go get an autograph." He points at the empty seat next to Johnny, and he twists around to look at it. He feels kinda guilty about being so uninterested in something Stephen's obviously excited for. "He took your backpack," Max adds when Johnny starts searching for it. "Said something about a notebook?"

"Oh. Yeah, that's fine." He stands up and stretches, feeling his spine pop. "We better go catch up with him."

Johnny takes the stairs two at a time, dodging the few remaining people in the auditorium. Max and Ed fall back, deep in discussion about something, and he hesitates at the door, waffling between waiting for them to catch up or not. He decides not, 'cuz he's still feeling like he's neglecting Stephen, and plunges into the foyer. He spots his friend across the room at the back of a line and weaves his way through the crowd. 

"Yo," he says when he's standing next to him, and Stephen turns to him with a huge grin.

"Dude, that was so cool!" He exults, clutching the notebook to his chest. He's wearing Johnny's backpack. "Did you catch all that stuff? I can't wait for his next podcast episode!"

"Uh, vaguely," Johnny admits. "I, um, kinda zoned out for a bit there. I'm sorry."

"It's cool." Stephen shrugs amicably. "I know this kinda stuff isn't really your speed, but hey!" He socks him in the shoulder. "Thanks for comin' with, bro." The line inches forward a bit. "Hey," Stephen adds, dropping his voice. "He was talkin' 'bout you and Max, wasn't he?" Johnny just nods. "Dude, you're famous!" He says loudly, and several people in front of them glance over their shoulders.

"By a loose definition, sure." Max deadpans from where he's just appeared by Johnny's side, and he jumps a little. Stephen just sticks his tongue out at him and turns back around. It takes them another fifteen minutes to get to the head of the line, by which point Johnny's starting to think maybe he shouldn't let this Dr. Ectoplasm guy see him. He starts backing away, but it's too late.

Stephen slaps the notebook down on the table in front of Dr. Ectoplasm. "Oh my God, I'm just - I'm a huge fan," he babbles, face going beet red. "I love your stuff! I was so excited to win that context, 'cuz, y'know, otherwise I couldn't have afforded tickets, y'know?"

"Oh, are you the young man that won? Congratulations!" He uncaps a marker and smiles at Stephen, but his eyes are on Johnny and Max, and Johnny doesn't like the way he's looking at them. It feels like something cold and slimy is crawling across the back of his neck, and it makes him want to freeze and fight and run away all at the same time. "What's your name?" Dr. Ectoplasm turns away from them, and Johnny lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Stephen," his friend says eagerly. "With a ph."

“Nice to meet you, Stephen.” Dr. Ectoplasm pulls the notebook closer and flips to a clean page, scrawling something on it in big, loopy letters. “Do you guys go to school here?”

“No, we go to Mayview Middle,” Stephen says before Johnny can stop him. “It’s really close to here, though.”

Dr. Ectoplasm just nods. "Here you are," he says, handing the notebook back over to a beaming Stephen. "Thanks for coming, boys. Don't be strangers." He gives them a polite, pointed smile, and Johnny feels his skin crawl. His temperature shoots way up, and a couple of people in the nearby vicinity start fanning themselves.

“Take it easy,” Max murmurs. Johnny just swallows and spins around, making a beeline for the doors. He can't get outside fast enough.

"That dude seriously gives me the creeps," he mutters to Max when they're safely out of the school. Stephen's just ahead, practically skipping down the sidewalk. Max nods quickly in agreement and turns to Ed.

"What do you think?" He asks him. "You think he's a spectral?"

Ed rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I dunno? I mean, I didn't see any spectral energy coming off him, so I don't think so?"

"How's he know 'bout spirits and stuff then?" Johnny interjects. "If he ain't a spectral, that means someone's been blabbin' to him."

"Could just be coincidence. Maybe he's really good at guessing." Ed shrugs. "I'm more worried about that machine he said he invented. If it really works like you said it does, the Consortium's not gonna be happy. They're big on keeping things hush-hush." He frowns a bit. "You think Mr. Spender'd get in trouble?"

"Speaking of Spender - oh, hold on." Max stops and drops to the ground, tying his shoe. "Speaking of Spender," he continues, popping back up, "should we tell him? I mean, I tried, kinda, but he's always busy with stuff."

Ed looks hesitant. "Well...we probably should, but..." He trails off and stares at the ground. "I'll talk to Izzy about it first," he declares after a bit. "Maybe we can figure this out ourselves."

"Yeah, maybe." Max sounds dubious.

"You guys are so slow today!" Stephen shouts from further up the sidewalk. He's hopping up and down, impatiently. "I wanna get home already so I can hang this autograph up in my room."

"Ya gonna frame it?" Johnny calls back, and Stephen shoots him a wicked grin.

"You bet I am! It's goin' right next to my DJ Mothman and Professor Bigfoot ones." He skips back over to them. "Man, I am gonna have such clout on the message boards tomorrow."

"Hell yeah!" Johnny says back, high-fiving him. "Lemme see it, would ya? I didn't get a peep at it back there." They stop under a streetlight right in front of the middle school and Stephen flips the notebook open, stopping at the autographed page. It reads STAY SPOOKY in big cursive letters, with Stephen's name and Dr. Ectoplasm's signature right under it.

"Does that say Phteven?" Ed asks, leaning forward with a squint, and Stephen scowls at him.

"It does not! Geez, can't ya read, four-eyes?" He snaps the notebook shut. Johnny quietly decides not to mention that it does, in fact, say Phteven.

"Hey," he says, nudging his friend. "Gimme my backpack back, would ya?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Stephen wiggles out of it and hands it over. Johnny slings it back on and then feels a hand on his elbow.

"You still wanna come over?" Max asks, dropping his hand. "I mean, you don't have to, since it's a school night and all-"

"No, it's fine, I wanna!" Johnny bursts out, face burning. Stephen snickers next to him and he shoots him a glare. Stephen just shrugs, doing his best to look innocent. "I just, uh-" He flounders, then throws his arm around Stephen's neck in a moment of inspiration. "I'm gonna walk my bro home first, 'kay?"

"Cool." Max puts his hands in his jacket pockets. "Text me when you get to the store, alright?"

"You got it," Johnny squeaks, and drags Stephen away. He's laughing out loud now, right in Johnny's ear. "Shut up!" He hisses, giving his friend a shove.

"Sorry!" Stephen staggers away with a guffaw. "It's just - your face!" Johnny slaps his hand over his mouth and casts an anxious look back at Max. He's still standing under the streetlight, talking to Ed. Johnny can only vaguely make out their conversation.

"Hey," he thinks he hears Max say. "Look, I know I was, uh, probably kinda...insensitive earlier? About, um, your parents, I mean. I just-" He fidgets awkwardly. "I know what it's like," he continues quietly, "so if, y'know, you ever want to talk or anything-" His voice dwindles away as they move out of earshot. Johnny doesn't catch Ed's reply.

Stephen aims a kick at Johnny's leg and he swears, dropping his hand with a glare. "Jesus, dude!" Stephen complains. "I couldn't breathe!" He shoves him playfully. "C'mon, let's get home so I can hang this and so you can get back to your boyfriend."

"He's - you - shut up!" Johnny yells the last part, face hot. He tries to shove Stephen again, but he ducks away with a laugh and runs off down the street, Johnny hot on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think we shold all be sad about ed


	23. flickers

"So yer tryin' ta tell me there's a whole secret organization that meets in dreams and the boss is some kinda mummy lady?" Johnny asks, dubiously. He's lying on Max's bed, on his back, staring at the ceiling. Max is on his stomach next to him, propped up on his elbows.

"I know it sounds like I'm making it all up, but I pr-" Max hesitates for a moment. "I swear to God it's true. I ran into Boss Leader when I almost got run over by the Ghost Train 'cuz I was like, unconscious or something, and she can get into your head or whatever when you're asleep." He pauses and frowns. "It's like I'm literally just now hearing myself. What happened to my life?" Johnny snorts and Max pokes him in the ribs. "Don't laugh. This is your life now too."

"Not like I had much of a choice," Johnny says back. He doesn't really mean anything by it, but Max looks worried all the same. "It's fine," he adds hastily, lying through his teeth. " 'm gettin' used to it."

"Even your powers?" Max asks quietly, and Johnny just shrugs. There's an awkward, prolonged silence while Johnny studiously avoids looking at him. He feels Max shift a bit and then he's suddenly leaning half over him, looking down, and Johnny freezes.

Max is close enough that he could probably kiss him if he sat up a bit, Johnny thinks hazily. He wouldn't, 'cuz that'd be weird and creepy and uncomfortable and it'd probably make Max hate him, but the realization of that possibility is making his heart race fast enough that it feels like it's going to fly out of his chest. Johnny's very aware that he's gone bright red and that the room is suddenly sweltering. He can't even breathe or blink, so he just stares back. He very dimly notices Max giving him a puzzled look.

He's never going to get over this crush, Johnny realizes. It's going to come to the grave with him.

"Uh, you okay?" Max asks, breaking the tension, and Johnny finds he can move again. "You just got super red."

" 'm just hot," Johnny mutters, cutting his eyes to the side. He really, really wishes Max would just move so he can sit up and put some space between them. He's still way too close.

"Geez, no kidding." Max leans back and fans himself with one hand. "It's like being next to a furnace." He turns around and starts opening the window, and Johnny takes this opportunity to scramble a reasonable distance away. "Oh my God!" Max exclaims suddenly, reaching blindly behind him and batting at Johnny. "Dude, come check it out! It's snowing!"

"Woah, really?" Johnny's at the window in an instant, squinting out. He can just barely make out the gentle sprinkling of white flakes. "It's kinda early. Didn't peg ya as the kinda person t'get excited over snow," he adds, glancing at Max.

"Well-" Max fumbles for words, cheeks going pink, and it's cute. Johnny has to bite his lip and turn away, feeling his ears start burning. "I just think it's neat," he finishes, lamely. Max yanks the window up further and a blast of cold air rushes into the room - which Johnny's grateful for - and leans out, elbows on the sill. He jerks back with a yelp as a face looms out of the darkness. "PJ!" Max gasps, clutching at his heart. "Jesus, you gotta stop doing that. You're gonna kill me one of these days."

"Sorry, Mr. Max," PJ says contritely, floating inside. Max shuts the window behind him. A sudden loud tapping on the glass makes all three of them jump, and Max hesitantly opens the window back up.

"Oh. Sorry, Lefty." The hand flips him off and he frowns at it. "Geez, you really need to work on your manners." Max turns back to PJ. "What's up?"

The little ghost kid's practically vibrating with excitement. He's got a plunger clutched to his chest, for some reason. "Me and Lefty have big news!" He bursts out, doing his best ghost equivalent of hopping up and down. It's pretty impressive, considering he doesn't have legs. "So you know when you gave me that mission a few days ago? I think I made a breakthrough!" His eyes are huge.

Johnny leans over to Max. "Y'gave him a mission?"

"Yeah." Max shrugs a bit. "Isaac's really worried about the Doorman, so I asked if PJ could, y'know, ask around, see if any ghosts or spirits have seen him."

"Oh." A hollow feeling settles in his stomach. The Doorman's missing because of what he did. He hurt him. God, no wonder Isaac doesn't like him. He starts fiddling with the blanket on the bed, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. Johnny's vaguely aware of Max giving him a worried look, but he doesn't say anything.

"I was talking to Mel who told me to go talk to Joe who told me to go talk to Primrose but she's really mean and scary so I didn't, and then one of the trolls who hangs around the junkyard told me to go talk to the Sphinx and I beat all his riddles so he gave me a clue!" PJ bulldozes on, not stopping for breath. "And he said he saw someone like that down in the caves by the lake!"

Max sits up a little bit straighter. "Woah, that's awesome, PJ! You're a great detective."

PJ brightens up. "Oh, can we please do a high five?" He begs, holding his hand up. "I've been practicing! With Lefty and, uh, um. Myself."

Max laughs and holds his hand up, and the sound of it makes Johnny glance up and then immediately look back down, blushing. "Yeah, go for it," he says, and PJ slaps his own hand against his and squeals in delight. "Do you think you could see if you actually find the Doorman?" Max asks when PJ's calmed down. "Tell him that Isaac's upset and wants to see him."

PJ nods solemnly, dark eyes getting even bigger. "I'll go right now!"

"No, you don't have to-" Max cuts off with a sigh as PJ zips back out the window, Lefty following close behind. "Wow, he's really excited about this," he tells Johnny, smiling slightly. "It's kinda cute."

"Yeah." Johnny's quiet for a bit. "How did he die, anyway? He looks like he's younger than us."

Max swats his arm, looking scandalized. "Johnny! You can't just ask how people died!"

"I'm just wonderin'!"

Max just sighs again, biting his lip. "I don't really know," he says slowly. "He doesn't really like to talk about it. He just says it a long time ago, and he's been stuck here ever since." He looks down for a moment. "Spender said something once about how the longer a ghost lingers, the worse their death was." Max says this last part very quietly, and there's a sudden heavy stillness in the room.

"Oh," is all Johnny can think to say.

"Yeah." Max flops back on his bed. "He seems happy enough these days? I think he was just lonely before I moved in." He picks up his phone and looks at it with a frustrated noise.

"What's up?" Johnny cautiously scoots a little closer, making sure he's still far away enough that he won't accidentally touch Max.

"I've been trying to text Isabel about the whole Dr. Ectoplasm thing, but she's not responding." He snaps the phone shut with a grimace. "I think her grandpa might've taken her phone away. I'll just tell her tomorrow, I guess." He nudges him with his foot. "Hey. You never answered my question earlier."

"What question?" Johnny decides to play dumb. Max just narrows his eyes at him and he swallows. "I don't think I really wanna talk about it," he mutters.

"That's the problem with this whole dang Club!" Max throws his hands up in exasperation. "Nobody ever wants to talk about stuff!" He sits back up and points a stern finger at Johnny. "Look, I did not go to therapy for two years and learn coping techniques to watch everyone disregard their emotional health like this."

Johnny blinks. "What, you wanna be the Club's shrink or somethin'?"

Max snorts at that. "No, I just think it'd be nice if people actually, y'know, spoke up when something was bothering them instead of keeping it all bottled up 'til they explode." Johnny looks away, and his face softens. "Look," he adds, gently, "I'm not gonna force you to say anything, okay? I just-" He hesitates. "I'm your friend, man, okay? I wanna support you."

He can't speak for a good couple seconds. For a moment Johnny's tempted to just tell Max everything, how much he's actually afraid of his spirit, but the words stick in his throat. "Thanks," he makes himself say, very quietly. Max looks slightly disappointed, but he doesn't press it.

"It's-" Max starts, but he's interrupted by his dad sticking his head in the room.

"Hey, kids! Don't stay up too late, okay? It's a school night." He looks over at Johnny. "You want a ride, bud? Or are you staying over?"

"No, it's fine," Johnny says hastily, jumping to his feet. "I'll just walk home."

"You sure?" Max's dad frowns at him. "It's snowing out there."

"Yeah." It's not like he can get cold with his fire powers, but he can't tell him that.

"Well, okay." Max's dad shrugs. "Have a good night!" He calls, retreating from the room.

"Thanks," Johnny mutters, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. He can't even look at Max right now. "See ya at school tomorrow!" He blurts, grabbing his backpack from the floor and practically fleeing the room.

Max catches up to him at the bottom of the stairs. "Woah, slow down!" He exclaims, pressing a hand to his chest, and Johnny flushes. "I gotta let you out, remember? The doors are locked."

"Oh." God, he'd completely forgotten about that. Johnny mentally kicks himself for being so stupid. Way to ruin a perfectly good escape route.

Max eyes him as he fishes his keys out of his pocket. Johnny catches a glimpse of something shiny, and he blinks. It's the little baseball bat keychain he'd gotten Max at the arcade. He's actually using it? "Good thing I caught you before you ran right into the doors and knocked yourself out," Max quips, spinning the keys around his finger. "What's the rush, anyway?"

"Um - I just-" He stutters, going even deeper red. "I gotta go feed Moxie!" Johnny says, desperately, seizing on something that at least sounds plausible. He'd already fed her this morning, 'cuz she's starting to go into brumation and doesn't need as much food, but Max doesn't need to know that.

"Oh. Okay." Max walks over to the store's doors and unlocks them, sliding them open. A rush of snow blasts into the store, and he grimaces. "Say hi to her for me, would ya?"

"You got it." He sidles out the door, accidentally brushing past Max in the process, and butterflies start up in his stomach again.

"Thanks." Max gives him a warm smile, and the butterflies multiply by about a thousand. He glances up at the sky, squinting against the snow. "Least I don't have to worry about you getting cold." Max remarks, watching the snowflakes melt instantly wherever they land on Johnny. "Have a good night!" He calls with a wave.

"Y'too!" Johnny says back. He turns around, takes a deep breath, and sprints off towards his apartment as fast as he can go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday to zack!! thanks for creating this webcomic so i can write massive longfic about it :^)


	24. self-immolation

When Friday morning rolls around Max finds Isabel crouched in the hall, pressed up against the door to the Activity Club homeroom, eavesdropping. For a moment he's tempted to just turn around and walk away so he won't get dragged into whatever scheme she's got going on now. His plan's foiled when Isabel spots him and waves him over frantically. He just sighs and complies.

"What's going-" He cuts off as Isabel slaps a hand over his mouth, drawing a finger across her throat with the other.

"Shh!" She hisses, jerking her head towards the door. It's open just a crack, and Max can hear Spender's voice from inside. He can't hear anyone else in the room, so he must be on the phone. "Listen to this!" Isabel whispers, scooting a bit closer. Max follows her lead.

"I've already told you," Spender's saying in exasperation, "several times, I might point out- yes, I have! You don't listen- no! Listen to me!" He's sounding increasingly agitated. Max glances at Isabel and mouths 'Consortium?' at her. She gives a vague shrug.

There's the sound of something being slammed inside the room, and they both jump. "No!" Spender says loudly, practically yelling. "There's absolutely no reason for the Cousinhood to come here! I've already told them, and you, and who knows how many other people, there are no monsters here! Why are they even - what?" He's quiet for a bit, and Max and Isabel both lean forward. "Yes, I took care of the spirit that attacked the train - what do you mean they don't believe me?" Spender appears in the crack of the door, and they hastily scramble back. He's too engrossed in his phone call to notice them.

"Well, you can tell B.L. she keeps plenty of secrets from me too!" Spender says heatedly, and his voice cracks a little in the middle of the sentence. He clenches his jaw and pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly upset. "Look. The Cousinhood, they - no, _listen_ \- they don't have morals, alright? I've got kids here I'm trying to protect. I don't need those creeps hanging around them."

Max and Isabel trade looks. This call is about one of the Club members? Spender said something about 'taking care' of whatever spirit had attacked the Ghost Train. He'd never elaborated on what had caused it to go haywire in the first place, so Max had given up trying to get an answer to that, but...his eyes widen as he comes to a sudden realization. Spender had mortally injured a spirit on the same night Johnny got possessed.

"I think he's talking about Johnny's spirit," he hisses to Isabel. "What's the Cousinhood, anyway? What would they want with Forge?" He vaguely remembers Boss Leader saying something about them that time he’d met her, but he can’t quite recall what.

"They're-" Isabel's eyes get huge. "Quick! Run!" She whispers harshly, shoving him. They scuttle down the hall and dip behind a corner just as Spender opens the door, peering out suspiciously. He glances around wildly, then closes the door with a firm click. Isabel breathes a sigh of relief and unpeels herself from the wall. "The Cousinhood's kinda like..." She frowns, struggling for a good analogy. "A sister group, I guess? Of the Consortium, anyway. They fight monsters and really evil spirits and stuff like that. Their full title's the Cousinhood of Man." Isabel shudders. "They're creepy. I know Spender and my Grandpa hate them." Her mouth twists a bit when she mentions her grandfather.

Max gives her a dubious frown. "You're telling me some secret group of monster hunters is after Johnny?"

"Well, we don't know that for sure." Isabel grimaces. "They were trying to get in here in September. Something about vampires? I don't know. I doubt Boss Leader will let them in. She doesn't like them either. Besides," she adds, eyeing Max, "I'm more worried about that weird doctor guy. Me and Ed have been listening to his new podcast episodes and - y'know, I get the feeling he's up to something?"

"You're preaching to the choir," Max says dryly. "He definitely is. I just don't know what." He thinks about the way Dr. Ectoplasm had said 'don't be strangers' and resists the urge to shiver. What the heck does that even mean? "Did you tell Spender about it?"

Isabel bites her lip and looks down. "Yeah. But he just brushed it aside. Said it wasn't anything to worry about." She heaves a huge sigh and stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets. "I don't know what's got him so occupied these days, but I-" She cuts off and looks away. "I just wish he'd pay more attention to us," she mutters. There's a pause, and then she shakes her head, lightening up. "But hey! It's been a while since me and you had patrol together."

"Oh, yeah, it has," Max agrees, surprised. "Where are Ed and Isaac, anyway? And - hey, wait a minute." He narrows his eyes at her. "Aren't you grounded from doing spectral stuff?"

"I snuck out of the house," Isabel says airily. "And Ed and Isaac are both home sick. There's some kinda bug going around." She gives him a sideways look. "Shouldn't I be asking you where Johnny is?"

"Why's everyone always think I know that?" Max protests. "It's not like I've got a GPS tracker on him or anything! He's probably with his friends." 

She raises an eyebrow at him. "And you're okay with that?"

"Uh...yeah?" Max is genuinely puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Isabel rolls her eyes and pats his cheek. "Oblivious, thy name is Puckett," she says, teasing bite to her voice.

"What're you - stop!" Max shoves her lightly. "You're so weird sometimes." Isabel just snickers and socks him in the shoulder, decidedly _not_ lightly.

"You'll figure it out someday," she says, cryptically. "Now c'mon, let's get going before Spender comes out again and finds us."

They go around all three floors of the school twice, but there's no hostile spirits or frightened ghosts or cantankerous grudges, and Max can tell Isabel is disappointed. She's all tense and riled up, and she keeps opening and closing her umbrella. "Ugh!" Isabel complains loudly when they get back down to the first floor. "I wanted something to fight! I haven't done anything all week. How do non-spectrals stand living like this?" She flops against a locker with a dramatic sigh.

Max pats her on the shoulder. "I think maybe you should consider some new hobbies. Less violent ones." The warning bell for first period rings, and he glances up. "I gotta run to English. See ya in art."

"Yeah," Isabel says morosely, giving him the briefest of waves.

Max slides into his seat just as the bell rings again. Mr. Starchman comes bursting in through the door a couple seconds later as usual and does a pirouette at the front of the room. "Good morning, class!" He booms, sounding even more excitable than usual. "I have fantastic news!"

"You're giving everyone an A on the test?" Jeff calls hopefully from the back of the room.

"An excellent guess!" Mr. Starchman levels a finger at him. "It's entirely wrong, but excellent nonetheless." Jeff's face falls in disappointment. "No, today we're going to be having a guest speaker! I know it's very last minute," he continues, raising his voice over the collective groan of the class, "but he reached out to me yesterday and I thought, 'wow, what an interesting fellow! Come on in!'" He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He's an investigative reporter!"

Suzy lets out an excited gasp from a few rows over. Max just rolls his eyes and exchanges a look with Violet, who's sitting in Ed's usual spot. She looks equally unimpressed. There's a sudden loud knock at the door. "Ah, here he is now!" Mr. Starchman sighs happily and skips over to the door, opening it. "Everyone say hello to Dr. Ectoplasm!" He says as the guest speaker walks in.

Max goes bolt upright in his seat, freezing. How did he-? He suddenly remembers Stephen telling the man that they attended this school. Dr. Ectoplasm's eyes fall on him briefly, and he swallows. Max notices Violet giving him a concerned look. "Are you okay?" She whispers.

"I'm fine," he says back, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "I just, uh. I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school." He gives her a weak smile, and she snorts back a laugh. Max doesn’t share her mirth. He’s suddenly feeling very alone and very small. God, he wishes Ed was here.

"Good morning, students!" Dr. Ectoplasm says cheerfully from up front, dropping a briefcase on Mr. Starchman's desk. "I can't say how delighted I am to be here amongst Mayview's brightest young minds."

"Are you really a journalist?" Suzy challenges, and he smiles at her.

"Absolutely! I specialize in unsolved mysteries. I even have my own podcast, perhaps you've heard of it?" There's a general murmur as most of the class shake their heads, and his smile falters. Jeff raises his hand from the back of the room.

"I have!" He enthuses. "I really liked the episode where you talked about the crop circles."

"I'm glad to hear that." Dr. Ectoplasm gives him a finger gun and Jeff lights up. "I'm here today to talk to you guys about journalism methods." He opens up the briefcase and starts pulling out stuff, setting it on the desk. For a moment Max thinks he sees the medium-detecting device, and his heart skips a beat. "I brought a PowerPoint with, just give me a moment to set it up." He drops into the desk chair and starts fiddling around with the computer. Mr. Starchman himself is squeezed into an empty desk next to Max, looking positively giddy.

Dr. Ectoplasm looks up. "I'll need a volunteer for this." He stares directly at Max, ignoring Suzy frantically waving both of her hands in the air. "What's your name, son?"

"Uh," Max starts, hesitantly. He really doesn't want this creep knowing his name, but the whole class is looking at him expectantly. "Max," he mutters, avoiding eye contact.

"Max! Why don't you come up here and be my volunteer?" Dr. Ectoplasm says, a bit too jovially.

"Um, I think Suzy would really love to do it instead," Max says nervously, pointing at her. She gives him a surprised look.

"I'm sure you two can take turns." His smile becomes a little forced. "Come on up here."

Max reluctantly gets to his feet and trudges over. He glances down into the briefcase lying open on the desk as he passes. Oh, God, that device is definitely in there. It beeps softly when he walks by, and he and Dr. Ectoplasm make eye contact. Max frowns slightly. It only detects mediums, right? He shouldn't be setting it off at all. And even if it did just pick up spirits in general, his bat is back at his desk. Maybe it's broken, Max thinks hopefully.

"Now, you just sit right here." Dr. Ectoplasm stands up and directs Max into the chair, pressing him down into it forcefully. His hands are clammy, and Max shudders. "And just click the next slide when I say so, all right?"

Max nods mutely, thoughts spiraling. Why is this guy here? What the heck does he want with him? He thinks back to Spender's phone call from this morning. Maybe he's part of the Cousinhood? What if- Max is suddenly keenly aware that Dr. Ectoplasm has stopped talking and is staring at him. So is the rest of the class. Oops. He gives an awkward little laugh and clicks the next slide.

The rest of the period drags on with agonizing slowness, and Max gets increasingly fidgety. He's only half-listening to Dr. Ectoplasm. He actually sounds - well, _normal_ , for once - talking about the various ways investigators get information. Suzy in particular is drinking it up, filling up page after page in her notebook with furious scribbles. The bell rings loudly, interrupting the man mid-sentence.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you all!" He calls over the sound of chairs scraping back. "Thank you again for letting me speak to you." Max jumps to his feet and tries to skulk past Dr. Ectoplasm without getting noticed, but no dice. "Ah, Max," he says, giving him a huge smile that makes Max want to jump out the window, "do you have a moment? I'd like to speak with you about something."

"No, I, uh," he fumbles, "gotta get to science. Sorry!" Max gives him a bright smile and snatches up his backpack, hightailing it out of the room. He runs down the hall, dodging kids and earning a plethora of glares and the occasional swear word. He skids to a stop in Mr. Garcia's classroom. It's empty except for Mr. Garcia himself, passed out at his desk. Max lets out the breath he'd been holding and sits down, eyeing the door warily. If Dr. Ectoplasm tries to come in here he _will_ jump out the window for real.

"Hey." Violet's voice sounds from behind him and he jumps, whirling around. How'd she manage to get in here without him seeing? He wasn't that spaced out, right? She frowns at him as she takes her seat. "What's up with you today? You look like you just saw a ghost." She pauses for a second and shakes her head. "Y'know what, if you did, I don't want to know."

"I didn't." Max drums his fingers on the desk anxiously. "It's just that guy. He gives me the creeps."

"What, the 'investigative journalist'?" Violet snorts. "He's a quack. I listened to that podcast he has once 'cuz Jeff was always badgering me about it. He's just making stuff up. He is kinda creepy though," she concedes with a shrug.

"Yeah." Max gives a strained laugh. Violet eyes him but doesn't say anything else, 'cuz Lisa enters the classroom and she starts talking to her instead. Max leans forward and rests his chin on his arms with a sigh. Maybe he's just overthinking this.

He does his best to focus on the lecture, but it's mostly just Mr. Garcia repeating 'the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell' over and over. Whatever the heck that means. He keeps glancing at the clock, and he swears it ticks by slower every time. He needs to get to art class so he can talk to Isabel. The bell finally, finally rings, and Max is the first one out of the room.

The halls are too crowded now - both with humans and spirits - for him to run, and Max suddenly feels stifled and claustrophobic. He turns around and decides to take an alternative route. It's a little longer, sure, but less people go that way. He rounds a corner and finds the hallway in front of him is deserted, and Max starts to feel a little uneasy.

He almost makes it to class before someone reaches out and pulls him backwards into a closet.

Max finds himself being forcibly pressed down into a chair. He can't see anything around a blindingly bright light being shone right into his face, and he chokes down a scream, screwing his eyes shut. This had better not be Ollie and Stephen and RJ again, Max thinks savagely. He's had enough of being shoved into closets.

The light clicks off and he looks up, blinking back tears. A face swims in the dimness in front of him, fuzzily. It takes a couple moments for his eyes to stop stinging and for him to realize who he's looking at. Max jerks back with a start, his heart slamming to a stop and then resuming at Mach 20.

"Hey, kid." Dr. Ectoplasm says, and for once he's not smiling. "We're gonna have a talk."

"You sure picked the perfect spot for it," Max snarks, trying to cover up how freaking scared he is right now. "It's very scenic." He tries to go for his bat and freezes when he realizes he's tied to the chair. "Seriously, what's going on?" His voice shakes a bit. So much for being cool and composed. "Am I being kidnapped? I have rights!"

Dr. Ectoplasm shrugs one shoulder. "Kidnapping involves the victim being transported to a secondary location, so technically, you're just being detained."

"Oh." Max blinks. "Am I being detained? I have rights!" He says loudly. "I can just yell for help, y'know! This closet's not exactly soundproof!"

"You could." Dr. Ectoplasm leans forward, elbows on his knees. "But it wouldn't help much."

"What? Why?" He's even more freaked out now. Max squirms a bit against the ropes, but they're not going anywhere, and he glowers at the man. He's sitting just out of kicking reach.

"I tripped the fire alarm," he says, simply, and Max can hear the distant wail of sirens. How had he not noticed that before?

"Oh," he says again, swallowing hard. Great. He's alone in the school with a flippin' nutcase. "What do you want from me?" He blusters, giving him his tough face. Dr. Ectoplasm just looks amused.

"Tell me about the spirits. I know they're here."

"Wha- you can see them?" Max bursts out, shocked. Is this guy actually a spectral after all?

"No." Dr. Ectoplasm sits back with a smug smile. "But thank you for confirming they exist. I was starting to wonder if maybe my invention was faulty, but..." He trails off, picking up his briefcase from the floor and setting it on his lap, unlatching it. He pulls out the device and points it at Max. The light bulb on the end of it starts flashing sporadically, like a strobe, and Max looks away with a wince. "How long have you been possessed?" Dr. Ectoplasm asks, casually.

"I am not possessed!" Max glares at him. "My spirit lives in my bat! Point your stupid machine at that instead!" Dr. Ectoplasm sighs and holds it out to the bat. The light dims.

"It doesn't work on inanimate objects," he says almost patiently. "It only detects spiritual energy in organic hosts."

"Well, then it's busted!" Max yells. " 'Cuz I'm not possessed! It was just picking up on Johnny the other times-" He snaps his mouth shut with a sinking feeling that he's said too much. What if he goes after Johnny next?

"Ah, yes. Your friend." Dr. Ectoplasm shuts the device off and stows it away. "It's obvious that you're both possessed, so you can stop lying to me." He gets to his feet and takes a step forward, and Max frantically tries to scoot the chair away. It doesn't budge.

"So, what," Max starts with a confidence that he definitely doesn't feel, "you're here in Mayview to, what? Terrorize children? 'Cuz I'm really feeling terrorized right now."

"I'm investigating," Dr. Ectoplasm says, and Max snorts. He gives him a mild glare. "This town is a hive of spiritual energy."

"Yeah? Says who?"

Dr. Ectoplasm drops back down into his chair. "Allow me to explain," he starts, and Max groans.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me you're gonna give an evil villain monologue."

"You're a very lippy young man, you know that?" Dr. Ectoplasm frowns at him. "Now shut up." Max shuts up. "As you know, I have a podcast." He throws an arm across the back of the chair, and Max is tempted to tell him enough with the podcast already, but he resists the impulse. "It's moderately successful. I get quite a lot of calls and mail. Recently, I've been getting these very interesting letters. Want to know what they all have in common?"

"They're all from people who enjoy writing to a wacko?" Max deadpans, and Dr. Ectoplasm sighs deeply.

"No." His voice is curt. "They were all from people who had moved away from Mayview. And the reoccurring theme, in every single one of these letters, is they all mention an incident that happened thirteen years ago that nobody can quite recall. Sort of like when you wake up with a half-forgotten dream."

"Uh-uh," Max says, dubiously. He's not really following this. “What about the whole ‘crime spree’ thing you were on about?”

He waves a hand flippantly. “That’s just a front. I couldn’t care less about petty teenage turf squabbles.” Dr. Ectoplasm leans forward until his nose is almost touching Max's. "No, I’m here because something happened in this town thirteen years ago," he states, staring Max dead in the eyes. "Something terrible. And I intend to find out what."

Max laughs right in his face, and he pulls back with a scowl. "Well, you picked the worse person to interrogate!" He wheezes. "I'm not even thirteen! Plus, I've only lived in Mayview for like, two months!"

"That doesn't-" Dr. Ectoplasm's interrupted by a deafening crash as the closet doors swing open and Isabel barges in, screaming at the top of her lungs. She lashes out violently with her umbrella, snagging the man's jacket with the handle, and uses Flip-Flop's powers to smash him headfirst into the ground. He immediately goes limp. Johnny races in after Isabel, smoldering.

"Oh my God, Iz." Max stares at Dr. Ectoplasm's motionless form in horror. "You just killed a man."

"Wow, no need to thank me for the rescue," she says dryly, crouching down behind him and untying the ropes. "He's probably just unconscious. It's fine."

"Did he hurt ya?" Johnny bursts out, flames flickering higher. "I'll - I'll kill him for real if he did!" He kicks Dr. Ectoplasm in the side.

"Woah, calm down!" Max holds up his newly freed hands, rubbing at the rope burn on his wrists with a grimace. "He didn't hurt me." He stands up and looks down at the unconscious man, crossing his arms. "He just freaked me out. And, um, tied me to a chair."

Isabel scoops him up into a rib-cracking hug. "Oh my God! We were so worried!” She’s babbling a bit. "I seriously thought Johnny was gonna, like, burn this whole building down."

"How'd you-" Max struggles for breath. "Can you put me down, please?" She drops him and he takes a huge gulp of air. "How'd you know where I was?"

"Violet." Isabel grabs him by the shoulders. "She said she followed you from science 'cuz you were acting weird and she was kinda worried and then she saw this creep grab you but couldn't do anything 'cuz all the teachers were making everyone go outside 'cuz of the fire alarm." She pauses to breathe. "So she found us and we found you!"

"Thanks. You're my hero." Max gives her a genuine smile. "You too," he adds, looking at Johnny. He just ducks his head and stares at the ground, ears going red. At least he's not on fire anymore. "So..." He starts, pointing at the unconscious Dr. Ectoplasm. "What're we gonna do with him?"

"Could just chuck him out the window," Isabel suggests darkly.

"Isabel!" Max exclaims, scandalized. "No! We should call the police or something!"

"No, we don't need to-"

"I just got kidnapped!" He throws his hands in the air. "We should definitely call the police! Or at the very least tell Spender!"

Isabel chews her lip for a moment, then sighs. "Yeah, you're right." She pulls out her phone and punches in a number, holding it to her ear and tapping her foot impatiently as she waits for Spender to pick up. "Hey," she bursts out, then pauses with a frown, listening to the tinny voice emanating from the speaker. "Yeah, it's important - no, were not in trouble. Uh, anymore. Look, Max just got kidnapped - yeah, he's fine. Yes!" Isabel holds the phone out. "Tell him you're fine."

"Uh, I'm fine?" Max says, and Isabel snatches the phone back before he can make out Spender's response.

"Anyway," Isabel continues, "we've got the kidnapper here. He's, um, knocked out? Yes, he's breathing." She scowls down at Dr. Ectoplasm. "Where are you? I'll come find you- okay. Be there in a sec." She ends the call and stuffs the phone back in her pocket. "I'm gonna go find Spender and bring him over here, 'kay? He'll know what to do. You guys keep an eye on him," she adds, backing out of the closet.

"Um, okay?" Max eyes the man nervously. The enormity of the situation hits him all at once, and his knees give out, dumping him to the floor with an unceremonious thump.

"Woah!" Johnny blurts, dropping down next to him. "Ya okay?"

"Yeah." Max scoots backwards until his back is touching the wall, taking in a shuddering breath. "I just think the adrenaline's wearing off," he jokes, giving him a wobbly smile. His hands are shaking a little, and he shoves them in his hoodie pocket. "Man," he says, staring at Dr. Ectoplasm, "I thought he was gonna be like, a major antagonist or something, but turns out he's just an unscrupulous reporter." Kinda like Suzy, Max thinks, only dialed up to eleven.

"What did he want with you, anyway?" Johnny sits down next to him. He sounds like he's about to boil over, and Max wonders if he's going to have to stop him from beating up an unconscious man.

"I don't know." Max blows out a long, slow breath and shakes his head, trying unsuccessfully to stop the trembles. "He kept, like, saying I was possessed? And I'm not. My spirit's in my bat." He turns his head slightly to look at the bat, lying discarded on the floor by the chairs. It'd fallen out of his backpack when Isabel went in for her hug. "And he said he was investigating. Something about something happening in Mayview thirteen years ago?" Max glances at Johnny and he just shrugs, looking as confused as Max feels.

"Y'sure he didn't hurt ya or nothin'?" Johnny gives Dr. Ectoplasm a vicious glare, his hands curling into fists. "I'll fight him for ya, promise."

Max snorts a little at that. "You're the only person I know who's both willing and probably able to take on an adult," he says, giving him a smile that is definitely fond, and Johnny's face colors. "But nah, I'm fine." He pulls his hands out of his pockets and rubs his wrists again. "Just a little shaky, I guess."

"I know the feelin'," Johnny mutters, and Max can't think of anything to say to that. He shifts over a bit so he's closer, 'cuz Johnny's warm and this floor is cold and he's still scared and suddenly bone-tired. Max just sighs slightly and puts his head on Johnny's shoulder, closing his eyes. He feels Johnny stiffen under him, taking in a sharp breath, and the heat turns up. "What're ya doin'?" He sounds kinda nervous.

"Sorry," Max mumbles. "You want me to move?"

"No, uh, it's - it's fine." He's holding perfectly still, like he's afraid of disturbing him.

"Okay, good." Max scoots even closer. " 'Cuz I am like, exhausted right now, and you're super warm and comfy." He belatedly realizes how much of an embarrassing thing that was to say and he feels his face go red. Max very pointedly refuses to open his eyes and look at Johnny. "Hey," he says after a while, jerking himself out of the half-sleep he'd fallen into, "I was gonna tell you this in class, but I might as well do it now. I think Forge was the one who attacked the Ghost Train two months ago."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"I dunno." Max shrugs a bit. "But I guess that explains why Spender's got beef with him."

"Yeah." Johnny's quiet for a bit. "Y'know, I don't know what Forge's deal is. Sometimes it feels like-"

Dr. Ectoplasm lets out a low moan and Max sits bolt upright, heart hammering, interrupting Johnny mid-sentence. He stares at him, wide-eyed. "Is he...?"

Johnny reaches forward and prods him. He doesn't react. "He's still out cold," Johnny announces, settling back, and Max gives a little nervous laugh.

"Good. God, that scared me." His shakes are back, and Max bites his lip. Don't be such a baby, he tells himself. It's not like he can hurt you. He notices Johnny looking at him out of the corner of his eye, and he tries to pull himself together. It's not working, and Max can feel the panic building up in his chest. It's something he hasn't felt for a long time, and he hates it. He's been through worse things, right? Faced off against who knows how many vicious and freaky spirits? So why's this guy bothering him so much?

Maybe it's the mundane reality of it all, Max thinks. Getting kidnapped by a stranger is something that can happen to anyone, and all his powers wouldn't do a thing to help. He's dimly aware that he's trembling like a chihuahua during a thunderstorm. Johnny reaches out, almost tentatively, and puts his arm around him. Max makes a small noise, and he jerks his arm back quickly.

"Sorry." Johnny's staring very intently at the ground. "Forgot ya don't like bein' touched."

"No, it's-" Max takes a deep breath and holds it for a while. "It's fine. I think I need it right now."

"Y'sure?" He sounds hesitant, and when he glances it up it's almost shy. Their eyes meet for a moment and - God, why is Max so hot all of a sudden?

"I-" His voice doesn't want to work. He's about to try again when Isabel bursts back in through the doors, Spender in tow. The teacher takes one look at Dr. Ectoplasm lying unconscious on the ground and slams to a stop. Max can practically hear the tire screech sound effect.

"What in the world happened here?" Spender looks at him. "Maxwell, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Max sits on his hands so nobody can see that they're shaking. He's pretty sure Isabel notices, but she doesn't comment. "He didn't hurt me."

"You said this man...kidnapped you?" Spender gestures at Dr. Ectoplasm, clearly confused. "What for?"

"And tied him to a chair," Isabel pipes up before Max can respond. She points to the pile of ropes lying on the floor. Spender turns to look at them, and his face twists up in anger, so intense that it makes Max take a sharp breath in. It's not an emotion he's ever seen in Spender before.

"He, um," Max starts, hesitantly, "was kinda like, interrogating me? About spirits and stuff. And he also said he was investigating something that happened in Mayview thirteen years ago."

The anger on Spender's face gives way to...fear? It's only there for a split second before his stony facade comes slamming back down, but he unmistakably looked afraid. Max shoots a glance at Isabel. She's staring at Spender, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I see," he says, voice perfectly flat. Then he shakes his head. "Isabel, Johnny, can you take Max back to the club room, please? He's in shock and he needs a rest."

"I am not-" Max protests.

"I have snacks in my desk," Spender continues, ignoring him. "I'll be along shortly."

"Hold it!" Isabel moves to stand in front of the door, crossing her arms. "Something's going on here. Don't we deserve an explanation?"

Spender hesitates for a moment. "You do," he says, very quietly. "But right now I have to call the Consortium to deal with this." He nudges Dr. Ectoplasm with his foot. "It's a messy situation."

Isabel glowers for a bit, then relents. "Fine," she mutters. "C'mon, guys. Let's go." She hauls Max to his feet. His legs are more or less steady by now. "Johnny, go grab his bat, would ya?"

"Isabel-" Max starts to say when they're out in the hallway, but she shakes her head in warning. The school's starting to fill back up with students, and they get a couple curious glances upon exiting the closet. Behind them, Spender closes the door with a soft click.

"Not here," she hisses, and Max just nods, sticking his hands back in his pockets. Johnny's right next to him, carefully holding the bat like it's a baby, and Max leans in a bit to the heat. It's comforting. They get to the Activity Club homeroom and Isabel promptly shoves him down on a couch before rummaging about in Spender's desk.

"Seriously, I'm fine-" Max is cut off by her stuffing a cookie into his mouth and he mumbles the rest of the sentence around a mouthful of baked good.

"Eat that first," Isabel says sternly, pointing a finger at him. She flops down on the other couch and watches intently as Max proceeds to very uncomfortably eat the rest. She looks over at Johnny, who's awkwardly hovering behind the couch. "Sit down, you goof."

Max swallows the last mouthful of cookie. "Isabel." He scoots over a bit to make room for Johnny. "What happened here thirteen years ago? Did you see Spender's face? He looked terrified."

Isabel bites her lip. "I don't really know," she admits, looking down. "Nobody really talks about it. But I hear the agents mention it, sometimes." She glances up, meets Max's eyes. "The weird thing is, it's like nobody can really remember? But...I think it was something really, really bad."

A sudden, horrible realization comes to Max, and he can't breath for a second. "Isabel," he says again, feeling numb. "Why are there so many ghosts of kids our age at this school?"

Her eyes widen and her hand goes to her mouth. "Oh my God," Isabel mumbles between her fingers. "I don't - I've never thought about it before. They've just always been there."

A heavy silence descends on the room, and it's stifling. Isabel looks horrified. Johnny's just looking confused. Max's thoughts are racing, trying to figure things out, but it's like trying to put together a puzzle with the lights out and also you're blindfolded and half of the pieces are missing. He's about to say something when Spender opens the door.

"That was quick," Max remarks, dodging Isabel's attempt to stick a juice box in his face. He casually lifts it from her hand and pops the straw in.

"Ah. Well." Spender adjusts his sunglasses. "It's been taken care of. He won't bother you ever again, I promise."

"Oh my God." Max chokes on a sip of juice and Johnny slaps him on the back, alarmed. "You killed him?" He wheezes out when he's got his breath back.

"What? No!" Spender sounds scandalized. "Why would you-"

"You gotta admit, that sounded pretty mafia," Isabel points out. She adopts a gruff voice and crosses her arms. "It's taken care of, boss. He ain't bothering anyone ever again." She looks at Max and smothers back a giggle.

"Dr. Ectoplasm is still alive and well," Spender says patiently, closing the door. He leans against it slightly. "He's in Consortium custody now."

"They gonna wipe his mind?" Isabel uncrosses her arms and sits up a little, and Max gapes at her.

"They can do that? Doesn't that seem a little...unethical?" Sure, he'd brought up that idea once as a joke, but he didn't know it was actually possible.

"That's for them to decide," Spender says loudly, interrupting whatever Isabel was about to say. "It's out of my hands now."

She eyes him, brows furrowed in irritation. "Me and Max have a question. And Johnny too, I guess." She stares Spender down. "What happened thirteen years ago? What's so important that it'd make this guy grab Max?"

Spender stares at the ground, jaw working. "I can't tell you," he says, finally, and his voice sounds very small.

"Can't or won't?" Isabel demands, getting to her feet, and Max shifts uncomfortably from the mounting tension in the room.

He's quiet for a long time. "Won't," Spender whispers, a sound that's barely there. Isabel's shoulders slump and she blinks a few times, rapidly.

"Fine. Fine!" She yells, voice cracking. "We don't need you! We'll figure it out ourselves!" She storms over to the door and Spender shuffles aside. Isabel yanks it open and stomps out down the hall. There's a heavy silence, and Max and Johnny look at each other.

"Well!" Spender tries and fails to brighten up. "Max, do you want to go home? I can write an excused absence. I think you deserve it."

Max shakes his head. "No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Spender frowns at him. "You've had a rough experience."

"Yeah," Max says loudly. "I'm sure. I just want things to go back to normal." Like anything's ever normal in this town, he thinks sourly. He stands up and Johnny hastily follows suit.

"Well, all right." Spender watches them go, and Max thinks he looks almost sad.

Max checks the time when they're out in the hall and sighs. Third period's almost over. So much for working on his sculpture in art class. He notices Johnny repeatedly looking at him and then glancing away. "What?" He asks, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Uh," Johnny starts, stuttering a bit. "I was - I'm just - I'm glad you're okay. I was worried." He ducks his head and stares at the ground, ears going bright red.

"Aw." Max grins at him, bumping him with his shoulder. "Sweet. I'm glad you guys showed up, 'cuz otherwise who knows how long I'd be stuck in there with that creep."

"Yeah." The bell rings and he jumps a bit. "Um. I gotta - I gotta get to class!" He blurts, thrusting the bat at Max. He takes it, grimacing a bit at how hot the metal is where Johnny's been holding it. "See ya in shop!" Johnny adds, then does an about face and practically runs away. Max just watches him go, perplexed, before shrugging and heading towards the lunchroom.

He wonders if Isabel's gonna be there. He hopes so. Max still doesn't want to be alone right now, and he thinks she probably shouldn't be either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nobody expects dr. ectoplasm


	25. light the candle-

It's 2:30 in the morning and Max still can't sleep.

He'd crawled into bed almost as soon as he'd gotten home, telling his dad he didn't feel good, which of course meant having to sit through him trying to shove seven different kinds of soup down his throat. Max had just barely escaped with his taste buds still intact.

He's been staring at the ceiling for about two hours now, restless and irritated and vaguely uneasy. He keeps thinking about what happened earlier. Dr. Ectoplasm's face pops unbidden into his mind and Max shudders a bit, pulling his blankets tighter around him. "Chill out," he mutters to himself. "It's not like he's gonna jump out of the closet and grab you again." Max shoots a quick glance at his closet, just in case. It's empty.

He kinda wishes PJ was here, just so he'd have someone to talk to. He's been out every night for the last week looking for the Doorman, taking Lefty with him. Max has to admire his dedication to his mission. He rolls over with a huff, burying his face in the pillow. Dr. Ectoplasm's voice is still echoing in his head, and Max bites his lip. _How long have you been possessed?_

"I'm not," he mumbles into the pillow. He'd know if he was, right? But then again...it'd taken Johnny almost a whole month to realize, and Max doesn't know how long it was for Isaac. Maybe he should ask him. Or Dimitri. Max is pretty sure he's a medium too. He's pointedly ignoring the fact that his question has a very simple solution, because if he doesn't acknowledge it, it won’t be real.

Max rolls back over, sighing loudly. Sure, he could try and get into the spirit world, and if he encountered anything lurking about, that'd answer that, but he really doesn't want to. Not right now. Not by himself. Maybe that's why Scrapdragon's so cranky all the time, he thinks dimly. Maybe it's scared of whatever's in him. Whatever _might_ be in him, Max corrects himself. God, why is he even considering this possibility?

He closes his eyes and them immediately opens them again when he remembers what happened on Halloween. That spider spirit - it'd tried to posses him, right? Max vaguely recalls the feeling of it not being able to get in, and he swallows. What if Dr. Ectoplasm's actually right?

God, he's gotta stop thinking about this. Max sits up and makes a grab for his phone. The screen lights up, and he winces. It takes a while for his eyes to adjust, and he squints at the time. It's almost three. Nobody's gonna be up at right now, but he's gotta talk to somebody. It's worth a shot. He sends off texts to a couple of people, waiting impatiently for a response.

Five minutes crawl by. Nothing. Max flops back on his bed, letting out a puff of air. Figures. What was he expecting, anyway? He throws an arm over his face and resigns himself to not getting any sleep tonight. There's a buzzing noise, and he lifts his arm slightly, peering at his phone in surprise. Who's awake right now?

**> max (2:58):** hey u up  
**> johnny (3:06):** yeah whats up??

Of course it's Johnny, Max thinks, smiling slightly.

**> max (3:07):** just cant sleep  
**> max (3:07):** wait why ARE you up rn  
**> johnny (3:08):** same thing  
**> johnny (3:08):** u doing ok?

Max hesitates for a bit. If he's honest with himself, he's not, and it's embarrassing to admit it, but - oh, what the heck. He's pretty sure Johnny's not gonna make fun of him or anything.

**> max (3:12):** not really  
**> max (3:13):** still just kinda shaken up i guess  
**> johnny (3:14):** u want me to come over

That gets a snort out of Max.

**> max (3:14):** its the middle of the night you dummy  
**> johnny (3:15):** didnt stop me before  
**> johnny (3:16):** im coming over dont fall asleep yet

Max doesn't bother protesting. Nothing stops Johnny once he's made up his mind about something, and besides, he not-so-secretly wants the company. He just shakes his head and snaps his phone shut, returning it to the nightstand. Max goes back to staring at the ceiling, waiting.

Someone throws a rock at his window about twenty minutes later and he sighs. Of course. Max gets out of bed and crosses over to the window, opening it. He shivers a bit as a blast of cold air rushes in, scattering snow on the floor. "You gonna come up through the window again," he snarks down to Johnny, "or is it too much to ask that you come in through the door like a normal person?"

Johnny turns a bright red that's visible even in the dim light of the lamppost. He's not wearing a jacket. Lucky, Max thinks. He's freezing right now. "Um, door's fine," Johnny calls, sounding subdued.

"Good choice. I'll be right down." Max shuts the window and brushes away the snowflakes on the sill before tiptoeing down the hall, careful not to wake his dad or Zoey. He steps onto the stairs and they creak loudly. Max freezes, holding his breath. Nobody comes out of their rooms, and he edges the rest of the way down, shaking his head when he steps out into the store. It's not like his dad would be mad about him having a friend over, Max reasons. He just doesn't want to bother him in the middle of the night.

The store's still and quiet, shelves looming almost ominously in the dark. It's bright outside, the moon reflecting off the falling snow. Johnny's made his way around to the front of the store, standing right outside the doors. There's a small puddle of melted snow around his feet. Max unlocks the doors and slides them open, grimacing as he gets smacked in the face with a rush of cold followed up a wall of heat.

"You're lucky my dad hasn't installed those security alarms he's been talking about yet," he tells Johnny, "otherwise the police'd be here by now." He waits 'til Johnny's inside and then shuts the doors, locking them again. "Seriously, you didn't have to come all the way over here."

Johnny just shrugs, looking kinda awkward. "I wasn't sleepin' neither, so..." He trails off, and Max looks at him suspiciously.

"You're not staying awake on purpose again, are you?"

"Nah." He shakes his head. "Just - been thinkin' 'bout stuff."

"Yeah, you and me both." Max sighs, then pushes him lightly. "C'mon. Get up there. Watch out for the top step though, it squeaks."

They successfully creep back into his room, and Max shuts the door, quietly. He doesn't want to turn on the lights, but it's weird talking to people in the dark, so he just opens the blinds a bit so the moonlight can filter in. "You really got a habit of showing up here in the middle of the night," he teases, sitting back down on his bed and pulling the blanket around him like a cocoon.

"Well, I'm - I just-" Johnny splutters, face flushing again. "Y'want me t'go?"

"No, it's fine," Max says hastily. "Get over here. I'm cold." He adds that last bit almost as an afterthought.

Johnny snorts as he sits down next to Max, cross-legged. "I didn't come over here for ya t'use me like a heater," he complains.

"Yeah? Why'd you come over here, then?" Max eyes him with a frown. "Hey, no shoes on my bed."

"Oh. Sorry." He kicks them off, looking away. "I just, I dunno, thought y'might want some company," he mutters, and Max goes quiet for a bit, studying him. He looks almost washed-out in the moonlight, like a ghost, and Max is suddenly seized with the impulse to reach out and touch him to make sure he's still there. "What?" Johnny snaps defensively, turning back to look at him.

"Nothing." Max shakes his head, realizing he's been staring like a creep. Don't be weird, he chides himself. He sits on his hands just in case any other stupid ideas come popping into his brain. "You're right." He bites his lip. "I keep thinking about him?"

"What, Dr. Ectoplasm?" Johnny's voice takes on a heated tone, and the temperature in the room spikes up.

"Yeah," he says, quietly. "I keep thinking. What if he's right? What if I actually am possessed?" He gives Johnny a sideways look. "I mean, he's probably not, but. I always overthink things, and I get stressed out, and-" He cuts off and sighs. "I dunno. I dunno how to figure it out, anyway."

"I only found out 'cuz I burnt a house down," Johnny offers, helpfully. "So anything you'd do would be better than that."

Max snorts back a laugh. "Yeah. Probably." He flops back on the bed, taking the blanket with him. "Y'know," he starts, staring at the ceiling, "when I was a kid I used to always get super anxious about everything, and my mom would make me sit in her workshop with her while she worked and she’d tell me stories. I dunno how, but it helped." He swallows back the lump that's suddenly appeared in his throat, feeling small and vulnerable.

Johnny's face appears in his line of vision. "Y'want me to tell ya a story?"

Max raises an eyebrow at him. "That's not really where I was going with that anecdote, but sure, I'll take it." He breaks into a grin. "Maybe it'll help me understand that weird brain of yours."

"Wha- I'm not weird!" Johnny protests, shoving him, and Max slaps a hand over his mouth, trying to smother his own laughter.

"Shh! My family's sleeping." Max's voice doesn't come out as stern as he was aiming for, and a giggle escapes. "You are _so_ weird, dude. I guess everyone important in my life is now." Johnny's just staring at him, wide eyed, and Max sees him swallow hard. He drops his hand, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Am I important?" Johnny squeaks out after a lengthy, uncomfortable silence.

"I mean-" Max looks away, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Yeah? All my friends are." He gives in to the temptation to hide under the blanket, pressing it against his face with a groan. "It's too late to be this mushy," he continues, voice muffled. "Or too early. Whatever. You know what I mean. What time is it even?"

"Almost four."

"Hm." Max pulls the blanket down just enough to eye Johnny. "Tell me about that time you punched a snake," he demands, eager to move on.

Johnny just blinks. "You're the one one who said y'didn't want to hear any details in the first place?"

"Well, I'm asking now!" Max says loudly. "Humor me, would ya?"

"If ya say so." Johnny shrugs and sits up straight, launching into retelling the story. It's complete with both sound effects and visual aid (the visual aid is Max is the snake and Johnny punches him. A lot.) Max finally nods off somewhere in the middle of it, sleep a welcome relief from his worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're at the halfway point of this fic!! i just wanna say thanks so much to everyone who's read it and taken the time to comment. i don't always get a chance to reply, but i read all of them and they mean a lot to me :)


	26. -snuff the wick

Max wakes up to his dad standing above him, huge grin on his face and phone in one upraised hand. He blinks in the bright sunlight streaming into the room, rubbing the grit out of his eyes. "What?" He frowns at his dad, sitting up. It's a bit of a struggle, considering Johnny's passed out and lying half on him and he's _heavy_ , but Max manages.

"Oh, nothing," his dad says, sweetly. "You guys are just cute."

"What are you-" Max's eyes fall on the phone and he's seized with a sudden feeling of dread. "Did you just take a picture?"

"Yep!" His dad flips the phone around, showing Max the incriminating evidence. It's a picture of him and Johnny zonked out on the bed and - for lack of a better term, and Max really, really, really hates to admit this - _snuggling._ Max makes a desperate, horror-fueled grab for the phone, but his dad just yanks it out of reach.

"I swear to God if you post that on any social media I am running away and joining the circus for real," Max deadpans. The threat's only slightly undermined by the fact that his face has gone bright red.

"Don't worry." His dad leans forward and ruffles his hair, casually slipping the phone into a pocket. "That's only going in the family scrapbook. How late did you guys stay up, anyway?" He continues, ignoring Max's scowl. "It's almost noon."

"Uh. I dunno?" Max rubs at his eyes again, stifling a yawn. "Late."

"Well, there's leftover breakfast in the fridge. If I'd known your friend was coming I'd have made extra." He says that last bit with a pointed stare at Johnny. He's still asleep, snoring softly.

Max hunches his shoulders a bit, feeling kinda guilty. "Um, it was sorta a spur-of-the-moment thing? Sorry."

His dad just shakes his head, giving him a smile. "Max, it's fine. I don't mind you having your friends over. You'd better get up now though, 'cuz me and Zoey are leaving soon."

"Oh." Max blinks. "Right. That's today."

"You got it." His dad starts moon-walking out of the room. "Meet me downstairs and I'll walk you through stuff, okay?" He points a finger at him and disappears out the door.

Max elbows Johnny. He doesn't sir, so he does it again, harder. "Wha’?" Johnny mumbles, not opening his eyes.

"Dude, wake up." Max gives his shoulder a push. "It's late."

Johnny opens one eye and stares at him for a bit before bolting upright, smacking into Max and knocking him off the bed. "Wh - what's goin' on?" He stammers, voice sleepy and ears red.

"Ow," Max says from his new position on the ground. He hauls himself to his knees and plants his elbows on the mattress, eyeing Johnny balefully. "Jesus, you gotta stop doing that every time you wake up."

"Sorry," he mutters, looking away. "Just forgot where I was for a sec."

"It's cool." Max shrugs, fanning himself with a hand. "God, I'm like, super sweaty right now." He reaches over and pokes Johnny. "That's what I get for sharing a bed with a space heater, I guess," he teases, watching Johnny's flush creep across the rest of his face. "Look, I gotta go talk to my dad, okay? There's some food in the fridge, help yourself." Max gets to his feet and speedwalks out of his room before he can say any more embarrassing things.

His dad's at the counter writing something down when Max gets down into the shop. "Hey, there you are!" He says brightly, looking up. "I'm just making a list of stuff that needs to get done. You already know how to run the register, so that's good. Hmm, what else..." He trails off, clicking the pen a couple dozen times. "Oh!" His dad points the pen at him. "If you get robbed, just give them the money. Your life's more important."

"Is...that something I should be worried about?" Max asks nervously. He tries to read the list upside down from the other side of the counter.

"Probably not!" His dad gives him a grin. "But you never know. Seriously, though," the grin drops, "if there's any trouble call me. Or the police. Oh, and one more thing." He reaches out and bops Max on the nose with the pen, and he wrinkles it in annoyance. "You can have your friends over if you want. Just stay focused and don't make a mess, okay?"

"Got it." Max slides the list towards him and starts looking it over. It's mostly a lot of tedious details about what needs to get restocked or cleaned, and his eyes glaze over.

"Great!" His dad gives him another megawatt smile. "You can close up early if you want, since it's just you. We'll be home around eight." He pivots so he's facing the stairs. "Hey, sweetie!" His dad bellows, and Max winces. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Zoey shouts back. She comes clattering down the stairs a few seconds later, overstuffed backpack strung across her shoulders. "Don't mess anything up, 'kay?" She says, eyeing Max dubiously.

"I appreciate your faith in me," Max says flatly. "Have fun at your...thing." He wiggles his fingers vaguely, and she snorts.

"It's not a 'thing'! I'm getting my first camping badge today!" Zoey exclaims proudly, and Max has to smile at her. She's cute.

"All right, let's go. Don't wanna be late!" His dad bustles her out of the store. Zoey pauses at the doors to wave goodbye, and Max waves back. Then they're gone, and it's just him alone at the counter. He goes back to reading the list.

There's a creaking noise and Max glances up to see Johnny appear on the top step, halfway through a slice of toast. His own stomach grumbles a bit. He's gotta go eat and get changed before he does anything else, Max decides. "Hey," Max calls up to him, "you wanna help me run the store today?"

Johnny pauses midstep. "Do I wanna what?" He mumbles around a mouthful of food. "What, it's just you? Where's yer dad?"

"He and Zoey are doing something for one of her Girl Scouts badges. Indoor camping or whatever." He shrugs. "So it's just me. I don't wanna be stuck by myself all day, 'cuz that's boring."

"Um." Johnny finishes the rest of the toast. "Sure? I gotta run home first for a bit, though."

"Awesome." Max grins at him and Johnny chokes slightly. He watches with vague alarm as he struggles to recompose himself. "Thanks," he adds when Johnny's stopped wheezing.

"Yeah, no prob." Johnny's looking anywhere but him, face red again. "See ya!" He blurts out suddenly, making a dash for the doors. Max just shakes his head, mildly bewildered, and heads upstairs to get dressed.

Johnny shows back up about an hour later, by which point Max has already made his way through a good chunk of the leftovers and texted the rest of his friends to see if anyone else wants to come over. Ed answers for Isabel, ‘cuz her grandpa had indeed taken her phone away. She's extra grounded and can't leave the house this weekend, and he's staying with her to try and cheer her up. Isaac said he'd literally rather watch paint dry than run a convenience store, which Max thought was a little harsh. "Hey," he says when the doors whoosh open and Johnny walks in, "that was longer than a 'bit'. I was starting to think I’d have to file a missing persons report or something."

"Sorry." Johnny's looking vaguely irritated, hands shoved into his pants pockets. "Ran into my dad."

"Oh," Max says back, immediately feeling awkward. "Did anything bad happen, or...?"

"Nah." Johnny shrugs and hops up on the counter. "He just- he drinks too much and he never cleans up after himself, so I had t'throw out all the empty bottles an' stuff again." He thumps the back of his foot against the counter. "Didn't even notice I was gone," he adds, a hint of something venomous in his voice. Then he shakes his head and grins at Max, all sharp and crooked. "So how's runnin' the store all by yourself?"

"Pretty boring." Max sighs and leans on the counter, propping his chin up in his hand. "There's been zero customers."

"Maybe 'cuz ya forgot to flip the sign," Johnny says, pointing at the front windows, and Max straightens up, affronted.

"I did not-" He stops when he sees that he did, in fact, forget to flip the sign. "Oh my God," he mutters, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. Max parkours over the counter and runs to the doors, hastily turning the sign so the OPEN part faces outwards. "Don't tell my dad about this," he says sternly, eyeing Johnny.

"I'm not gonna." He's just staring at him. "How're you so good at that?"

"Uh...at what?" Max makes his way back to the counter.

"Y'know." Johnny gestures with his hand. "The flips an' stuff." He ducks his head slightly, looking away. "Thought it was pretty cool when we first met," he mutters, turning red again.

"Oh, you mean when you and your gang chased me halfway around Mayview?" Max teases, hopping up on the counter next to him. "Me and my friends always used to do stuff like that back in Baxborough. We got pretty good at it."

Johnny glances up at him. "Can ya do a back flip?"

"Nah." Max shrugs one shoulder. "Been working on it, but I'm not there yet." He jumps down to the ground and shoots Johnny a grin. "But I can do this. Check it out." He backs up into an aisle to give himself room, then runs and springboards himself into a roundoff. Nailed the landing, Max thinks, smugly.

"Woah!" Johnny sits up straight, looking impressed. "Do that again!"

"Okay," Max says casually, like he's not enjoying showing off. He adds in a back handspring for good measure but misjudges the timing a bit, landing with a wobble. He stumbles forward and grabs onto Johnny for support. "Should've stretched first," Max says with a grimace, then breaks into breathless, exhilarated laughter. "Man, I haven't done anything like that in a while. I miss it." The doors to the store swish open and he glances over as a customer walks in. "Scoot, would ya?" He prods Johnny in the side and he jumps down from the counter. Max goes back behind it, using the gate this time.

"That was super cool." Johnny's voice is tinged with admiration and Max ducks his head a little, both pleased and slightly embarrassed. "Hey, can y'teach me how t'do stuff like that?"

Max eyes him briefly. "Sure, if you want? We'd have to start with the easy stuff first, though. Can you do a cartwheel?"

"Uh," is all Johnny says.

"Handstand?" Max presses on. "Kickstand?" He just gets blank look. "Somersault?" He's clutching at straws now.

Johnny lights up at the last question. "Hey, I can do one o'those!"

Max snorts back a laugh, giving him a slight smile. "It's a start, I guess."

"Awesome." Johnny reaches across the counter and socks him in the shoulder. "I can teach ya how t'fight, if ya want."

"I think I'm good, thanks." Max says dryly, rubbing his shoulder. "That's not really my thing. What?" He adds defensively in response to Johnny's disapproving look.

"At least let me teach ya some self-defense moves, in case-" He hesitates, shooting a glance at the customer currently browsing the candy aisle. "In case anything like what happened yesterday ever happens again. I was-" Johnny breaks off again, face going red. "I got scared," he mumbles, avoiding eye contact.

Max just stares at him. "Okay," he says, finally.

"Okay what?"

"You can teach me some stuff, and I'll teach you some stuff." He shrugs. "It's a fair trade, right?"

"Yeah." Johnny grins at him, shuffling to the side when the customer approaches so she can check out.

"Aren't you a little young to be working here?" She asks, forking over a handful of cash. "You're like what, ten?"

"I'm twelve," Max says with mild irritation, popping open the register and passing back her change. She just shrugs and takes it, scooping up her purchase and exiting the shop.

"Wow," Johnny says after she leaves. "Yer customer service skills could use some work."

Max just scowls at him. "Hey, you wanna do it? Actually no, never mind," he adds hastily. "I don't think I trust you with the register." He regrets saying that almost immediately. It's kinda mean.

Johnny just shrugs, nonplussed. "That's fair. I suck at math, anyway. It's my least favorite class."

"Yeah?" Max puts his elbows on the counter and leans forward. "So what classes do you like?"

"I like shop an' gym," he says automatically, and Max smiles a bit. He could've guessed that. " 'Cuz I liked building things an' throwin' stuff. And I'm good at English even if it is boring sometimes." He glances at Max. "What about you?"

"Uh." Max blanks a bit. "I like art and like, music, I guess?"

"Oh, an artsy type, with a broodin' exterior," Johnny teases. "Makes ya sound like a movie character."

"Shut up!" Max shoves him lightly. "I just take after my mom, I guess. She was a sculptor. She did these like, big metal statues and stuff?" He pauses for a moment, feeling wistful. "Sometimes she let me help her weld things, which, thinking back on it, was not exactly child safe."

"Oh." Johnny's quiet for a bit. "She sounds cool."

"Yeah, she was." Max gives him a small smile. "She had like, all these tattoos and piercings and she also taught boxing at the gym and-" He forces himself to stop, because otherwise he's just gonna keep on rambling forever, and also 'cuz he thinks he might tear up if he keeps going. He looks at Johnny. "I think she would've liked you."

Johnny just blinks in response, going red again. "Um. Thanks? I think I woulda liked her too." He mumbles that last bit. He looks like he's about to say something else when the doors swoosh open again and his friends pile in.

"Wow, really?" Max raises an eyebrow at him. "You invited your whole gang over?"

"Hey, I just told 'em I was gonna be here today!" Johnny protests. "It's public property, they can come over if they want. Right?"

"Yeah, man. I'm just messing with you." Max eyes them. "You guys better not make a mess out of anything!" He calls loudly. "My dad left me in charge and I'm not going to disappoint him!"

"Well, shoot," Ollie says back, deadpan. "I was thinkin' about just knocking all these shelves over. Relax," he adds in response to Max's nervous laughter, "I'm joking. Geez, you're so gullible."

"I am not!" Max retorts, affronted.

"Yeah?" Stephen chimes in. "Then what's that on the ceiling?"

"I'm not falling for that." Max crosses his arms and glares at him, and Stephen just shrugs before wandering off to look at the greeting cards. "Your friends are mean to me," he complains lightly to Johnny.

"They're just like that 'cuz they like ya," Johnny tells him. RJ pops up from out of nowhere, which makes Max jump a bit, nodding their head in agreement.

"Well...good, I guess?" Max isn't entirely sure he can return the sentiment. His feelings toward the Jang range from vague acceptance to outright irritation depending on the day and the number of times they've physically assaulted him. Max has noticed them being a bit better about that last part recently, though. He leans forward a bit, lowering his voice. "Did you tell them about...you know? Yesterday?"

Johnny shakes his head. "Nah. It'd crush Stephen." He glances over at where Stephen's spinning the card display rack as fast as it'll go. RJ punches him in the arm, tilting their head to the side questioningly. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Johnny sighs slightly. "But ya can't tell him, alright?" RJ just nods again, eyes widening when Johnny whispers something into their ear, looking at Max.

"I'm glad you're okay," they say, and Max blinks. He doesn't think he's ever actually heard RJ speak before.

"Uh...thanks?" He says back, feeling sorta touched. RJ just gives him a thumbs up and darts off, disappearing into an aisle.

"See?" Johnny grins at him. "Told ya they like ya."

"Hey, Johnny!" Stephen yells before Max can respond to that. "Get over here for a sec!"

"Be right back." Johnny slaps the counter and makes his way over to Stephen. Max watches him go and then turns back to the list his dad left him with an internal groan. He really doesn't want to do any of this, 'cuz it's Saturday and he feels like being lazy, but oh well. Johnny'd probably help if he asked. Max briefly considers trying to rope the rest of the Jang into chores as well, but quickly nixes that idea. He'd rather not have his dad come home to a pile of rubble where the store used to be.

"What're you guys talking about?" He asks Johnny when he gets back, curious. He and Stephen had been in deep conversation for a while.

"Just like, holiday stuff an' plans for winter break." Johnny shrugs a bit. " 'Cuz that's comin' up pretty soon."

"Oh, right," Max says, suddenly realizing that it's December now. He wonders if the Club has any other weird traditions. Anti-Christmas, maybe? "I forgot."

"Isn't your birthday this month too?" Johnny eyes him incredulously. "Ya forget about that too?"

"Well, in my defense, I have a lot on my mind these days," Max protests, ignoring Johnny's snort. "Don't give me that," he adds, frowning at him. "You're one of the things I think about." Johnny just stares a him, wide-eyed, and Max feels his own face heat up. "I mean- I just, um..." He trails off, fidgeting. "Worry about you sometimes?" A lot of times, his brain supplies helpfully. Oh, God, Johnny's still staring. Max is very tempted to just sink down behind the counter and hide.

"Hey," Ollie rumbles suddenly, looming up out of nowhere, and Max has never been more grateful to see him. "I wanna talk to you for a sec."

"Who, me?" Max points a questioning finger at himself. Ollie just sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, Captain Obvious. Who else?" He jerks his head towards a corner of the store. "Over there."

"Am I gonna get mugged-"

"No," Ollie says in exasperation. "But it is important, so you're going whether you like it or not." He shoots Johnny an apologetic look. "Gonna borrow him for a bit, bro. Sorry."

"Uh...okay?" Johnny's looking increasingly nervous, which makes Max nervous, and he sees him swallow.

"Feels like I'm walking into the lion's den," he mutters to Johnny as he ducks out from behind the counter, trailing after Ollie. They end up in the back corner of the frozen goods section, which Max notes would be a perfect place to stash a body on the off chance he is gonna get jumped and/or murdered. "Well, spill it," he demands, craning his neck back so he can look Ollie in the eyes.

He shuffles a bit, almost awkwardly. "It's about Johnny," he admits. "I'm worried about him."

Max blinks. "What about?" He just barely, barely stops himself from saying 'you too?' instead.

"Everything?" Ollie waves one massive hand in a vague gesture. "He told you about his pyrophobia, right?"

"Yeah," Max starts.

"He tell you about him havin' problems with his spirit?" Ollie barrels on, then lets out a huff. "I sound so stupid saying that. I still can't believe all this stuff's real."

"Not in so many words," Max says, cautiously. "I mean, I kinda figured? He won't give me a straight answer."

Ollie snorts like he's said something funny. "I'm just sayin'..." He hesitates, frowning slightly. "Talk to him again? I don't know how to help with this sorta thing." He gives a slight shrug. "That's all."

"Uh. Okay?" Max starts edging past him. "Good talk."

"Hey," Ollie says when he's halfway down the aisle, and something in his voice makes Max stop and turn around to look at him. "He likes you a lot, you know. As a friend. And he trusts you. Don't screw that up." Ollie adds that last bit in with a glare, crossing his arms.

"Oh," is all Max can squeak out, and for once it's not the threat that's making him feel scared. He scuttles back to the counter and practically throws himself behind it, desperate for some semblance of security. His stomach's all twisted up in knots, and he can't figure out why.

"What're ya guys talkin' about?" Johnny echos Max's earlier question, and he jumps back with a yelp. He hadn't even noticed he was back here.

"We were just- hey, wait a minute." Max frowns at him. "What are you doing with the register?"

"Someone came in while you two were having yer chat." Johnny shuts the cash drawer, not quite looking at him. "An' I didn't wanna bother ya so I just hopped on. It's not that hard, actually."

"Huh. Thanks, I guess?" Max leans on the counter with a sigh. Across the store Stephen's chasing RJ around with one of the leftover plastic skulls from Halloween while Ollie watches and shakes his head. "We gotta have a talk," he says, glancing at Johnny, who suddenly looks terrified. "It's nothing bad!" He adds, hastily. "Jesus, you look like you're gonna take off running."

"I do not!" Johnny retorts. His protest is undermined by his white-knuckled grip on the counter.

Max just rolls his eyes and gives him a smile that's equal parts exasperated and fond. "Whatever you say, tough guy. Hey." He picks up the list and waves it. "I gotta do some of this stuff. You wanna help?"

Johnny gives him a wobbly grin in return. "Sure."

Max manages to get the rest of the Jang cleared out of the store pretty easily (even if he did have to bribe Stephen with some candy), which was a nice surprise. It was an even nicer surprise that Johnny decided to stick around the store with him instead of leaving with his friends, but Max refuses to acknowledge that fact. They spend a couple hours cleaning and stocking. Well, mostly cleaning and stocking. There might've been some goofing off and a whole bucketful of mop water might've been spilled on the floor at some point and Johnny might've surprised one or two customers when he set himself on fire in the middle of the cereal aisle when Max reached over and brushed something out of his hair, but otherwise he thinks they do a pretty good job. 

"Aaand we're closed!" He reaches out and flips the sign over after the last customer leaves, locking the doors behind them. Max turns around and puts his hands on his hips, surveying the store with a deep satisfaction. "I think that went well."

"Ain't it a little early to be closing?" Johnny asks, checking the time on his phone. He's back to sitting on the counter. "It's only six."

Max shrugs in response. "My dad said I could close earlier than usual if I wanted, and besides, we got stuff to do tonight."

Johnny blinks owlishly at him. "We do?"

"Yeah. You and I gotta talk, and-" He takes in a deep breath. "I'm gonna try and see if I actually am possessed." He lets the words out in a rush, because if he thinks too hard about it, he's never actually going to do it. "C'mon," he says, making his way back to the counter and nudging Johnny, "we can at least eat first. There's some leftover tacos from last night."

"Oh, sweet." Johnny lights up and hops down. " 'm hungry."

"Thought so," Max says dryly, squeezing past him and trooping up the stairs. He thinks about the possibility of meeting a spirit that may or may not be living inside him and suddenly loses his appetite. "Actually, on second thought-" He stops short on the top stair and Johnny bumps into him from behind, sending him stumbling forward. "I'll eat afterwards," he finishes, shooting him a mild glare.

"Oh." Johnny gives him a little frown. "I will too, then."

"No, you don't have to-"

"It's weird bein' in someone's house an' eatin' their food if they ain't!" He says loudly, and Max snorts.

"Okay, fair. What do you wanna do first, then?"

"Uh." Johnny scratches the back of his neck, looking awkward. "Call for it?" He offers, sticking his hand in his pocket and pulling out a penny. "Tails for talkin' and heads for uh, y'know."

"Okay," Max says again. He watches as Johnny flips the coin and catches it, slapping it against the back of his hand. He looks at it.

"It's heads," Johnny tells him, and Max's heart sinks down into his stomach.

"Great." He sighs and shakes his head. "Let's just get this over with." They go into his room and Johnny sits down on his bed while he closes the door. Max sits down next to him, heart rate kicking up a few notches. "Okay," he says for the third time, trying to psych himself up. "I guess it shouldn't be too different than when I talk to Scrapdragon, right?"

"Y'don't hafta do it, y'know." Johnny sounds concerned.

Max bites the inside of his cheek. "I need to know. I just- I need to know if Dr. Ectoplasm was right." He lets out a slow breath and then takes an equally slow one in, closing his eyes. He feels like he's standing on a diving board above a pool that’s who knows how deep, or like he's walking the plank of a ship caught in the raging sea. "See you in a bit. Maybe." Max says, and lets himself fall.

Nothing happens.

He cautiously opens one eye, feeling relieved and kind of silly. The relief fades away when he takes in his surroundings. He's still in his room, but it's dark, like it's the middle of the night. Everything's covered with a thick layer of dust, and there's cracks in the walls and wilted plants poking up between the floorboards. The absoluteness of the silence is unnerving. Max twists around, half hoping he'll still see Johnny sitting on the bed next to him, but he's not there and he swallows, hard.

There really is a spirit possessing him.

Maybe they're nice, Max thinks without much conviction. Maybe he's just prematurely judging them by their creepy surroundings. It's just some dust and a couple of cobwebs. Maybe they just need a maid. He's thinking stupid stuff to distract himself from the window. Something in his brain wants him to pull up the blinds and look outside, and he doesn't trust that. Time to go, Max decides, but to his horror he finds himself standing up and walking towards the window instead.

His foot goes through a floorboard, and he stumbles. He hopes he didn't twist it, 'cuz it'd really suck to wake back up in real world with a sprained ankle. Max tries to stop himself from reaching out, but his body's moving of its own volition. It's like he's a puppet, and someone else is yanking on his strings.

Max pulls up the blinds and looks outside, and something looks back at him.

The sheer _wrongness_ of the thing makes his stomach churn, and Max staggers back, skin crawling. He can't tell what the spirit or - or thing looks like. It's just a writhing mass of shadows and a single dead eye and the eye is _looking_ at him and-

He falls backwards, crabwalking away as fast as he can. It won't stop looking at him, and Max wants it out, wants it-

A shadowy tendril slips under the window and reaches out for him, and Max screams.

He flails, screaming and crying, latching onto the nearest thing. It's warm, and that helps a bit. Johnny, Max thinks dimly, burying his face in his neck. He's shaking so hard it feels like he's gonna fall apart. Max very distantly hears himself saying 'get it out' over and over and over because he might be out of the spirit world but that thing is still there, it's still _in_ him-

He's pressed up so tight against Johnny that he can feel his heartbeat, fast and frantic, keeping pace with his own. He's saying something that Max can't make out, and there's hands on his back, and they're warm, and Max shivers and starts crying again. He doesn't know how long he stays there, clinging onto Johnny, but eventually the panic starts ebbing away and he can think coherently again. His head hurts. Max cautiously opens one eye, and the brightness of his room sends a bolt of pain through him, like he's just taken an ice pick to the brain. He immediately shuts it again with a grimace.

"Max?" Johnny says, and he sounds scared. Max just mumbles something that's incoherent even to himself, not making any effort to move. He doesn't want to, because this is the only thing that's keeping him from falling apart right now.

Max takes in a deep, shaky breath, hiccuping slightly. He tries to say something, anything, but the words stick in his throat. "Can you turn off the lights?" He manages finally, voice thready and small.

"Yeah." Johnny sounds relieved. "Um. You gotta get off me first, though." Max very reluctantly relinquishes his death grip on Johnny, and he feels the bed shift as he gets up. The lights switch off, and the burning behind his eyes fades slightly. Max tentatively opens them, squinting. He can't tell if everything's blurry because there's something wrong with his vision or if it's just because of all the tears. It's still too bright, even with the lights off and the blinds shut. Thinking about the window makes the trembles start up again, so Max doesn't.

Johnny's face swims into view, looking more concerned than Max has ever seen him. "Hold on a sec," he says. "Be right back." Max has to stop himself calling after him. Don't leave me, he thinks, but he doesn't voice it. He just pulls his blanket tight around him instead. He's freezing all of a sudden. Johnny comes back in less than a minute, holding what looks like a pair of sunglasses. "Here." He puts them on Max with a deliberate gentleness. "That better?"

"Yeah." Max sniffs a bit, drawing the blanket closer. His head doesn't hurt as much now, and the sunglasses bring the light down to something tolerable. He's starting to feel embarrassed, though, and he avoids looking at Johnny. There's a long silence, and then Johnny sits back down next to him.

"What happened?" He keeps his voice quiet, like Max is something fragile he doesn't want to break or scare off. Maybe he is. He sure feels like it right now.

"I-" His voice catches, and he shakes in head in frustration, feeling tears start to build up again. "The spirit. It's _wrong._ " He thinks about that eye and how it had _looked_ at him, and he wants to gag. "I don't - I don't know how to explain it. It's just - it's wrong." And it's still there, Max realizes. In his head. How long has it been there, watching him? He shudders, face screwing up, and it takes every single ounce of his willpower to keep from breaking down.

Johnny's quiet for a bit, and Max sneaks a glance at him. The front of his shirt is soaked from where he'd been crying on him, and he ducks his head down, face flushing. God. That's humiliating. "D'you- d'you want a hug?" Johnny asks him, tentatively.

"Yeah," Max admits, 'cuz he really does want one right now. Johnny leans over and hugs him and it's hesitant at first and it's - well, it's nice. He's warm, and that feels safe. "Thanks," Max mumbles after a couple of seconds, pulling away. He takes in another deep breath. "How long was I - y'know." He doesn't quite meet Johnny's eyes.

"Uh. 'bout twenty minutes?" He fidgets with a corner of the blanket. "Really freaked me out."

"Sorry," Max mutters, feeling his face heat up again.

"Well, it's not like it was your fault!" Johnny starts, heatedly, before visibly checking himself. "Your eyes were all weird too," he adds, much more quietly. "Last time y'did the whole spirit world thing they were white and this time they went all black."

Hearing that makes Max sick to his stomach for some reason, and he's briefly tempted to just hide under the blanket like he's five again and it'd be enough to keep out the monsters. "Well, that's a great sign," he quips weakly, falling back on sarcasm. "I've been unknowingly possessed by an evil shadow entity for God knows how long." He gives Johnny a wobbly smile. "Guess we both have unwanted roommates, huh."

"Yeah." Johnny tries to give him a smile back. There's a pause. "What do you wanna do? About - that, I mean."

I want to forget this ever happened, Max thinks. "I don't know what to do," he says. "Isabel might, but she's grounded for the whole weekend, so there's nothing I can do 'til Monday." He suppresses a shiver. The knowledge of the thing looms in the back of his mind, like a headache that won't go away, and he's not sure if he can make it through the rest of today and tomorrow. Max doesn't even know if there's a way to get rid of a spirit, short of destroying whatever they're possessing. 

"Well-" Johnny breaks off, fumbling for words. "You wanna just watch movies for the rest of the day?" He offers, a deliberate echo of what Max had said to him in the woods three months ago.

"Yeah." Max gives him a grateful look, and his face goes red. "That'd be nice." He wipes at his own face, hand coming away wet. God, he's gotta look like a complete mess right now. Max hasn't cried this much in years. "I gotta go, uh, clean up and stuff first." His dad and Zoey are probably gonna be back soon, and he doesn't want them seeing him like this. Max stands up, taking the blanket with him, then hesitates. "Can you- uh, I mean, if you want-" He stares very pointedly at the ground, ears burning. "Can you stay over again? I really don't wanna be alone right now." Max forces the words out, finally looking up at Johnny.

He's just staring back at him. " 'course I can. What else are friends for?" He shifts slightly. "Uh. I gotta run home and get some stuff first, though. Y'gonna be okay if I leave for a bit?"

A sudden cacophony of noise from the store downstairs interrupts Max's response, and for a moment he's worried that someone's broken in. Then he hears his dad's and Zoey's voices, engaged in an indistinct but very loud conversation. "I'll be fine," Max says. Knowing that his family's back makes him feel a bit better. "Don't worry."

Johnny's still looking very worried, and Max can't blame him. "Be back in like thirty tops," he tells him, standing up.

"Okay." Max forces a smile. "Hey," he adds, catching Johnny's arm when he walks past him, "thanks."

"For what?" Johnny blinks at him, brows furrowed.

"Just-" Max hesitates. "For everything, I guess? For being here. For being you." God, that sounds so sappy. He drops his hand, face flushing.

Johnny's just as red as he is, looking like a startled cat. "Um - no problem? I mean, uh- I gotta go!" He blurts out, edging towards the door. "But- but I'll be back, okay?" He flees the room, leaving Max standing there by himself with the blanket draped around him like a cloak. He shrugs it off and tosses it on the bed, feeling stupid.

He's gonna take a shower, he decides. A long one, as hot as it'll go, 'cuz he's still freezing, and 'cuz it'll give him a chance to calm down all the way so he can go back to being a fully-functioning member of society. Yeah, Max thinks, starting towards the bathroom. That sounds good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone say hello to the shadow spirit


	27. while the iron's hot

Johnny thinks Max might actually, genuinely give him a heart attack one of these days. Between the whole 'possessed by an evil spirit' freakout thing and the way he's been so damn clingy tonight, his heart's definitely been getting some extra exercise. He still doesn't really understand what happened back there in the bedroom, just that whatever's in Max terrifies him, and that scares Johnny too. It also makes him feel kinda guilty about his own problems, because they seem insignificant in comparison.

They're lying out on the couch in Max's living room, an almost exact repeat scenario of the weekend when he'd found out about his powers. The TV's still on, soft blue light illuminating the room. Max is passed out next to him, face half-buried in the crook of Johnny's neck. He hasn't been able to stop touching him in hours, and it's been a struggle for Johnny to not just lose it. His inner monologue's been running a mile a minute, mostly a mix of swearing and internal screaming.

The sunglasses Max is still wearing are digging into his skin and he shifts a bit, uncomfortable. Man, Max must've been really exhausted if he managed to fall asleep with those on. Johnny hesitates for a moment, then very slowly and cautiously takes them off. He half expects him to wake up or worse, for his eyes to be all freaky again, but nothing happens. It's just Max and his stupid cute face, out cold, and Johnny has to look away quickly, 'cuz his own face is starting to heat up.

A sharp ache knifes through his head, out of nowhere, and he winces, screwing his eyes shut. It's hot in the room all of a sudden, even for him, and he smells - smoke? Johnny opens his eyes and sits bolt upright, scrambling to his feet, slipping and sliding in the ash that's now coating the floor.

The living room's on fire.

Johnny forces down the wave of panic and nausea threatening to engulf him. It's not real, he tells himself, 'cuz he's been here before. It's the spirit world, and Forge is standing in front of him.

"What d'ya want?" He hisses out, angry at the fire and the huge metal man and at himself 'cuz his body's refusing to cooperate and he can feel the shakes starting up. He hasn't seen Forge since the school dance, and if anything he hates him more now than he did then. Johnny casts a quick glance behind him, stupidly hoping he'll see Max on the couch, but no such luck. He bites his lip, turning back to Forge. The spirit's still just staring at him. "What?" Johnny half-yells at him, feeling unnerved.

"I wish to speak with you," Forge says, sounding almost subdued.

"Well, I don't!" Johnny's yelling for real now. "Y'know how many times I tried talkin' to ya? You wouldn't let me! You- you-" He can't find the right words, and he stomps on the ground out of pure frustration. A pillar of fire shoots up, and he jerks back with a string of curses.

Forge just regards him levelly. "I what?"

"You know!" Johnny reaches out and tries to shove him, but all that gets him is a scalded palm. He swears again, sticking his hand under his armpit. "You messed with my head!" He glares at Forge, vision blurred with tears formed from a mixture of rage and pain. "You screwed with my memories!"

"So I did." There's a long pause while Johnny waits for him to elaborate.

"Well?" He bursts out when he can't take it anymore.

The spirit tips his massive head to one side. "Well, what?"

"Y'gonna explain why?"

"No." The answer's clipped, his voice curt. Forge starts doing his circling thing again, and Johnny's heart rate kicks up a few notches. He hates how powerless that makes him feel.

"Quit doin' that!" He snaps, practically tripping over his feet in his effort to keep Forge in his line of sight. Never let your enemy get behind you. "It gives me the creeps."

Forge pauses and bends down 'til he's almost at Johnny's height, and he swallows. "Do I frighten you, boy?" He asks, exhaling a plume of smoke that makes Johnny cough and his eyes water. That's not fair, he thinks crossly. I'm supposed to be immune to fire stuff.

Johnny stares him dead in the eye. Eyes. Whatever. "Yes," he says, 'cuz what's the use of lying? Forge can feel all of his emotions. He remembers that much from their last conversation, at least.

"I am sorry." Forge straightens up and continues his circuit. Johnny just blinks, the answer momentarily stunning him. He'd...sounded sincere?

"Well-" He slips in the ash in his haste to turn around, almost losing his footing. "Well, if- if you're sorry, get outta here!" He pauses for a second. "Me, I mean."

"Would if I could," Forge replies, and if Johnny didn't know better he'd say there was almost an undercurrent of amusement in his voice. "I do not look forward to having to fight a war in such an unimpressive body."

"Hey!" Johnny protests, but it lacks bite. He can't deny that next to Forge, he is pretty unimpressive. He just crosses his arms and gives the spirit a death glare, face heating up in embarrassment. "I ain't fightin' no war," he grits out, "so there! What're ya even talkin' about?" Forge ignores the question, lumbering over to the couch. "Hey!" He doesn't react, and Johnny watches as the spirit sits down, comically oversized. The furniture catches fire where the metal of his body touches it. "Hey! Quit ignorin' me!"

"This boy," Forge says, reaching out, clawed hand hovering over where Max would be in the real world. Johnny has a sudden, horrible vision of him escaping and hurting Max, and he swallows again, hard.

"Max? What about him?" He's blustering, trying to cover up just how nervous he's gotten.

Forge closes his hand into a fist, a violent action that makes Johnny suck in a sharp breath. That move would definitely crush someone's skull. The spirit swings his head around to look at him, and he takes a step backward, involuntarily. "Stay away from him." His voice is cold and hard and remorseless.

"Wha-"

"I mean it!" Forge cuts him off, getting to his feet and looming over him. "I care not for your trifling affection. Your pup’s love means nothing to me." His hand flashes out, metal glinting in the fire, and Johnny ducks away. Forge catches him easily, grabbing him by the chin and forcing him to look up. "I mean this for your own safety," he continues, and Johnny can't move or breathe or blink. He’s paralyzed, staring down this monster. "I know now where the evil in Mayview lurks." He lets go with a dismissive gesture, one sharp claw raking against Johnny's cheek.

"I don't- you don't-" He holds a palm to the burning on his face, chest heaving. He can't think of anything to say, can't make heads or tails of this. "Nobody tells me what t'do!" Johnny hurls the words at him, falling back on his old defenses. "Least of all some- some stupid freeloader, you-" He can't think of a strong enough insult.

Forge looks unperturbed. "I will let you remember this conversation, boy. You would be wise to take these words to heart."

"Gee, thanks," Johnny says bitterly. He turns around with a huff, squeezing his eyes shut. He's had enough of this conversation. How the hell does he get out of the spirit world, anyway? Maybe he's gotta click his heels together three times or something stupid like that-

Someone's shaking his shoulder and there's a distant voice and he gasps and lashes out and-

He's on his back on the floor of Max's living room and Max is crouched on the couch, looking down at him with a worried expression. He's wearing the sunglasses again, Johnny notes dimly. Probably 'cuz the lights are back on. "Are you okay?" He leans down and offers a hand. Johnny takes it hesitantly, letting himself be pulled back on the couch. "You were kinda jerking around a lot and- oh my God, are you bleeding?"

Johnny touches the spot where Forge had clawed him. His fingers come away warm and wet. "Um. Yeah, I guess?"

"Jesus." Max leans in a bit. "Dude, that's one gnarly scratch. Hold on, I think we got a first aid kit in the kitchen." He springs to his feet and sprints into the aforementioned room. Johnny takes the opportunity to check the time on his phone. It's after midnight, and he's got a bunch of unread texts from his friends. "Okay, here." Max reappears, sitting down, and Johnny jumps a bit.

"I don't need-"

"Uh-uh." Max silences him with a finger to the lips, giving him his sternest look. "I don't need you bleeding all over my house." He snaps the kit open and starts pulling stuff out. "Turn your head a bit. I gotta clean that up first."

"Ow," Johnny says mildly when Max presses a disinfecting wipe to the cut, and he snorts.

"You've taken worse hits than this, you baby." He rips open a bandaid and slaps it on his face. "There." He frowns briefly. "Actually, hold on." Max sticks a second one next to the first. "There," he says again, sitting back. "Man, I hope that doesn't scar."

"Y'think it's gonna?"

"I dunno." Max shrugs. "It'd look kinda dashing if it did. Uh. I mean-" He goes a little pink, and Johnny tries and fails to stop himself from flushing, 'cuz the combination of having Max touch his face and his comment has him reeling. "What happened?" Max asks quickly, changing the subject. "I woke up 'cuz you smacked me in the face while you were in the spirit world."

"Sorry," Johnny mumbles, looking away. "I was talkin' to Forge. He like, pulled me in? Or somethin'."

Max stares at him. "Is that from him?" He waves a vague hand at the bandaged cut. "Did he- did he attack you?"

Johnny hesitates for a moment. He doesn't think he's ever heard Max this mad before. "I think it was an accident," he says, slowly. "I don't think he wanted t'hurt me?"

"But he still did." Max's voice is flat.

"Yeah," Johnny admits. He makes himself meet Max's eyes, just for a moment, then looks down, fiddling with the blanket scrunched up on the couch. Max makes a vague noise and starts packing up the first aid kit. He gets to his feet without saying anything, scooping up the trash and walking back to the kitchen. Johnny just freezes. Is Max mad at him? Did he do something wrong?

Max comes back and frowns at him for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm just- I get upset when I'm worried." He flops down on the couch. "What'd he want with you? Forge?"

"He said-" Johnny bites his lip. Too hard, 'cuz he can taste the blood in his mouth. "He said to stay away from ya."

"Me?" He looks hurt, even with the sunglasses on, and Johnny's stomach does a weird little flip-flop. "What'd I do? I've never even met the guy!"

"I dunno. He wouldn't say." He lifts a shoulder. "He said somethin' 'bout evil in Mayview?"

"Oh." Max goes very quiet, and Johnny puts two and two together.

"I don't think he meant whatever's posessin' ya-"

"No, it makes sense," Max interrupts. His voice is wavering a bit. "You didn't- you- I don't know how to explain this, but that thing felt so... _wrong._ And bad." He shudders, and it makes Johnny want to hold him. "I can't- I know I keep using the same words but I dunno how else to describe it." He shifts a bit so he's pressing up against Johnny, just barely. "It's evil," he says, very firmly. "And it's stuck in my head."

Johnny doesn't know what to say to that. He doesn't like how small Max seems right now. He doesn't like any of this. It's not fair. It's hard enough being in middle school and dealing with a crush without throwing ghosts and whatever into the mix. "Well," he starts, tentative, "that doesn't mean you're bad. I mean, it's not like it's makin' ya run around stealin' stuff or hurtin' people, right?"

Max just nods, and Johnny gets the feeling he wants to say 'yet'. He sighs and slides further down the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I just wish I knew how long it's been there," he mumbles. "I hate wearing these things," Max adds, adjusting the sunglasses with irritation. "I look like Spender."

"I'll turn off the lights," Johnny says hastily, clambering over the back of the couch. He flips the switch and the living room plunges back into semi-darkness. There's a rustling noise as Max fumbles for the remote, and then the TV turns off with a soft whine. It's pitch black now. Johnny very carefully picks his way back to the couch, not wanting to trip over anything.

"I mean," Max's voice sounds right in his ear when he sits down, and he jumps a bit, "I guess I can't- oh my God." He interrupts himself, shocked.

"What?"

"I can see in the dark." Max says it slowly, like he's in a daze.

"Woah, seriously?" Johnny leans forward, squinting. He can just barely make out the vaguely person-shaped blob that's Max. "Um- how many fingers am I holdin' up?" He lifts a hand.

"Three. Now four. Now- Johnny!" Max sounds scandalized, and Johnny holds back a snort.

"Sorry." He sits on his hands. "Just checkin'."

"You could be less rude about it." He shoves his shoulder. "I was gonna say, at least I don't have any physical signs of possession like you and Isaac, but guess that's wrong."

"Seein' in the dark's way cooler than being on fire all the time," Johnny points out, feeling vaguely jealous. "And at least ya don't have t'deal with a mouth full of shark teeth."

"Yeah." Max is quiet for a moment. "Guess you really got the short end of the stick, huh. Hey," he continues before Johnny can respond, "I just remembered we never did get to have that talk. About what Ollie said earlier. Uh, yesterday."

Johnny swallows, feeling nervous despite himself. He knows that Ollie wouldn't go blabbing about this crush to Max, but his stomach's still trying to tie itself into knots. "What'd he say?" His face heats back up and for a moment he's grateful that it's dark before remembering that Max can see in the dark, and he resists the temptation to just hide behind his hands.

"He said-" Max pauses, and the couch shifts as he scoots a little closer. "He said you were having problems with your spirit, which, yeah, I guess is pretty obvious now, but-" He touches his leg, briefly, and Johnny has to bite his tongue to keep from yelping. "I wanna hear it from you?"

"I-" There's a long, awkward silence while Johnny tries to make his brain work. The air's hot again, stifling, and he's getting a little sweaty. "Your spirit's worse!" He blurts out, then immediately feels guilty. It's not like Max needs a reminder of that.

"It's all relative," Max says, sternly. God, he is way too close right now. Johnny's not sure how much more of this he can take. "That doesn't mean whatever's going on with you isn't valid."

"I-" He starts again, throat burning. "I hate him. Forge. And I'm scared of him." His voice is so quiet he can barely hear himself. Seeing the spirit - just knowing that he's there - makes him feel the way he did when he was seven, watching his house burn down around him. He shakes his head, mad at himself and at Forge and at- at everything.

"Hey." Max bumps his hand against Johnny's, and he wants to hold onto it like it's a lifeline. "I'm sorry. I know it's tough." There's a moment of stillness. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing great."

I'm not, Johnny thinks, but he doesn't speak it. "Thanks," he mutters, looking away.

"Yeah." The couch creaks as Max gets to his feet. "Okay, I gotta get to bed. C'mon, let's go." Johnny stands up too and proceeds to walk directly into the coffee table, letting out a loud swear. He hears Max snort back a laugh. "Dude, shh! My family's sleeping. Here," he adds, grabbing Johnny's hand, "just follow me, alright?"

Johnny just squeaks something incoherent out in return, temperature skyrocketing. He meekly allows himself to be led back to the bedroom. "Hey, Max?" He starts, tentatively.

"Yeah?" Max says again, sounding distracted. He's rattling his bedroom doorknob very vigorously. "Ugh, this thing's jammed again. Just gimme a sec."

He takes a deep breath, mentally psyching himself up. Just spit it out already. Just do it. "I-" His voice cracks, forcing him to start over. "I like you," he mumbles under his breath, very quickly.

There's a loud screeching as the door suddenly swings open, and Johnny feels Max wince. "Sorry, what?" He asks, turning towards him. "I didn't catch that."

"Um. It's - it's nothin'."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Johnny forces a weak grin. He feels kinda hollow, like all the wind's just been knocked out of him. Stupid. What had he been expecting, anyway? "Let's just go t'sleep."

"Sounds good to me." Max lets out a huge yawn. "God, I'm exhausted." He lets go of Johnny's hand, and he quickly shoves it in his pocket. "Let me go find that sleeping bag again, okay? 'Cuz no offense, but you take up way too much room on my bed."

"None taken," Johnny makes himself say, and he's fine with that. He's gonna die for real if he doesn't get some space from Max. He forces back a yawn of his own, suddenly crashing hard. There's a rustling noise as Max drags the sleeping bag out of the closet and tosses it at him, and Johnny surprises himself by managing to catch it in the dark. "Well, g'night," he says, lamely, crawling inside it.

He thinks he hears Max say something back, but he's already out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey haven't seen that forge guy for a while
> 
> this is the last update for about a week and a half since i'll be on vacation for the rest of august! i'm taking a roadtrip down to texas so i can finally fulfill my dream of being a cowboy :^)


	28. blinking in the sunlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all hope everyone had a good week! i just got back from vacation ([here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/796274f57e92a0df3d1933717c33bdb5/a63cafa2a5a1e686-d9/s640x960/8d7706a60c06f613de3f93738d736c55eee94934.jpg) is a truly excellent photo of me falling off a frog statue at the dallas science museum for you to enjoy) and i've missed working on this baby

"Oh my God," Violet says when Max walks into English class Monday morning, springing out of her desk and giving him a huge hug. "You're alive!" She then immediately lets go and takes a giant step backwards, face flushing in embarrassment. She crosses her arms, squinting at him. "What's with the sunglasses?"

"Migraine," Max lies. He'd skipped doing patrol this morning just so the rest of the Club wouldn't tease him about them. He's still kinda sensitive to light. It's not as bad as it was over the weekend, but he's still keeping the sunglasses on just in case. Well, that, and ‘cuz of the other thing. He drops into his own desk and nods at Lisa, who's giving him a look Max can't figure out and doesn't really want to. "Should I not be alive?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at Violet.

"Well, I mean, I figured you were, since Suzy'd be all over it if they found a body in the school," she deadpans, sitting on the corner of his desk. "I was just- well, _worried._ I saw that guy snatch you on Friday and then I didn't see you for the rest of the day."

"I'm fine." Max gives her a genuine smile. "Thanks for telling my friends, though."

"Yeah." She lifts a shoulder. "I tried telling a teacher, but they were all busy making everyone go outside 'cuz of the fire alarm. Nobody would listen to me except Isabel." Violet lets out a scoff, and Max is pretty sure it's aimed at the general incompetence of Mayview's adult population. "Hey," she continues, leaning in and lowering her voice. "What happened to him? Dr. Ectoplasm, I mean. You called the cops, right?"

Max takes a quick look around the classroom before responding. There's a few kids sitting in the back, but otherwise it's pretty empty. "Uh," he starts, "in a loose manner of speaking? There's this, um, secret organization-"

"Okay, stop right there." Violet holds a decisive hand up. "I don't wanna know. I just-" She hesitates. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Max just shakes his head, deciding not to elaborate. "Okay. Good." She slides off his desk and goes back to her own. "Don't do that again," Violet adds, glaring at him.

"It's not like I had a lot of choice in the matter!" Max protests, throwing his hands up. Violet snorts a little and goes back to talking to Lisa. He just sighs and starts pulling school supplies out of his backpack. A shadow falls across the desk and he looks up to see Ed beaming down at him.

"You're alive!" He half-yells, going in for a hug. Max sighs again and allows it.

"Ed, you already knew that," Max points out, patting him on the back. "I texted you this weekend."

"Yeah, but textin' is different than talkin'." He pulls back and straightens his glasses. "Izzy told me the whole story. I can't believe he'd do that to ya." Ed's smile drops. "There's been a buncha Consortium agents over at the dojo talkin' about what to do with him."

"What are they gonna do?" Max puts his pencil down, curious.

"I dunno." Ed shrugs. "I think Mr. Spender talked to Boss Leader personally about it 'cuz there's not usually this much fuss over people finding out about spirits an' stuff. He's really mad." He pauses, and Max takes the opportunity to glance behind him. Lisa's writing stuff down in a notebook, clearly eavesdropping, and Violet's got her fingers in her ears. She meets his gaze and shakes her head, and he shrugs in response. "Hey," Ed says, and Max turns back to face him. "What's with the sunglasses?"

"I'm-" Max starts, but he's interrupted by the bell. A crowd of kids rush into the room, trying to avoid being written up as late. "Tell you after class," he hisses, and Ed nods, sitting down. 

Mr. Starchman slides into the room on his knees a few second later. "Ah, sunglasses!" He exclaims, noticing Max. "How fashionable!" He bounds to his feet and digs around in his pocket, hurling a Starchman Star at Max. There's an envious murmur from the rest of the class as Max quickly stuffs it into his backpack, face heating up.

Lisa leans across the aisle and winks at him. "Two-for-one special in the store today," she whispers, slowly retreating. Max keeps his eyes firmly fixed up front, pretending that didn't just happen.

Class drags on like it always does, but Max is more fidgety than usual. He doesn't like wearing these stupid sunglasses, and he's very aware that people are pointing at him, talking about it. He definitely hears 'sunglasses teacher' being tossed around more than once. Max slides down in his seat, semi-tempted to just pull the hood of his jacket up and hide beneath it. His head hurts again.

He's doing his best to not think about the spirit possessing him, but it's hard. The memory of opening the window and seeing that thing pops into his mind, unbidden, and Max bites his lip. He's not going to have a panic attack in the middle of the class. He's not. It was bad enough when he'd just been with Johnny - and Max is definitely not thinking about how stupidly clingy he'd been with him, 'cuz that's majorly embarrassing - and if he fell apart here he'd never live it down.

The bell rings again, and he starts. There's a packet of paper on his desk that must've been handed out at some point. It's just a list of homework to do over winter break, and Max eyes it with disdain before tossing it in his bag.

"Hey." Someone touches his shoulder and Max jumps again, letting out a strangled yelp. "Wow, okay. Sorry." Violet pulls her hand back, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, it's fine. Sorry." Max gets to his feet hastily, swinging his backpack on. Ed's hovering behind Violet, bouncing on the tips of his toes impatiently. "I just, uh- I'm not big on being touched." He mutters, flushing a bit.

"Oh. Sorry," Violet says again. "I just- I wanted to say I'm glad you're okay." She gives him a smile, and for once Max doesn't see any sarcasm in it. "This school wouldn't be the same without it's resident weirdo."

"What- why am I the weirdo?" Max protests, loudly. He's pretty sure the rest of the Activity Club's got him beat. Violet rolls her eyes but doesn't respond, mouth twitching into another smile. She turns around and Max watches her leave with Lisa and Jeff, and then it's just him and Ed left in the room.

Ed stares at him for a bit. "You took my title," he says, sounding a bit miffed.

"Well-" Max mimes dusting off an invisible object, handing it over. "You can have it back." Ed laughs at that, taking the proffered imaginary title. "Okay, so," Max starts, heading out into the hall, Ed trailing close behind. "Something happened this weekend." He darts his eyes in both directions before leaning in. It's more out of habit at this point than anything. "I'm-" He hesitates, swallows. "I'm possessed." Max remembers the way the spirit had _looked_ at him and his stomach twists.

"You're what?" Ed gapes at him, mouth open. "What? Since when?" He closes his mouth, pursing his lips. "Gee, how come you get two spirits?"

"It's not like I want it!" Max exclaims in exasperation. "I don't know how long this thing's been here, but- but, look- it's _evil._ " 

Ed's looking doubtful. "How do you know?" He asks, pulling his tool out and tapping it against his chin. "I know lots of spirits look mean an' scary but that doesn't really mean they actually are-"

Max sighs loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just- ugh. Just look at this." He flips the sunglasses up, wincing in the brightness of the hallway. Ed gasps and takes a step back.

"Uh, wow. That, um, definitely looks evil," he says, clearly nervous. "When did...?"

"It's been on and off since Saturday night." Max lowers the glasses again, eyes watering a bit. He knows they look super freaky right now, 'cuz they're completely pitch black. He'd almost screamed at his own reflection in the mirror this morning. "I don't know why."

"Oh," is all Ed says. He clears his throat. "You tell Izzy about it yet?"

He shakes his head. "Not yet. You-" He pauses, biting his lip. "You think she'd know how to deal with this? How do you even get a spirit to uh...unpossess you, anyway?"

"I don't know." Max notices Ed doesn't specify which question that's answering. "We've never had to deal with anythin' like this before. I mean," he adds, "King C's pretty bad, but he's mostly just cranky and mean and not like...evil?" He shakes his head. "Maybe you should tell Mr. Spender."

"Yeah, maybe." Max says this without much conviction. That'd be his last resort, given how useless Spender is. The warning bell rings, and he sighs. "I gotta jet. Can you, uh- can you not tell Isabel about this just yet? I want to tell her myself."

"Yeah." Ed nods, then awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry you're the unwilling host for an evil entity, I guess." Max just snorts at that and waves goodbye before trooping down the hall towards Mr. Garcia’s classroom.

Math goes well enough, even if Suzy does spend the entire period throwing wadded up notes at him 'cuz she was convinced there was some kinda scoop going on with the whole sunglasses thing. Which, technically, she's right, Max supposes. It's not like he's gonna let her in on anything. He stands up immediately when the bell rings, gathering all the notes into his arms, and makes direct eye contact with Suzy as he crosses over to the recycling bin and dumps them. Then he books it out of the room before she can explode.

"Woah, what's the rush?" Isabel asks when Max skids into the art classroom, sounding amused. She's standing right by the door, holding a big cardboard box. "What's up with the sunglasses?" She blinks at him, frowning.

Max takes a moment to catch his breath, stepping to the side so he's not blocking the doorway. "I gotta talk to you about something." He meets Isabel's gaze. "It's important. Like, really, really, super important-"

"Say no more." She holds up a commanding hand. "Look, I'm helping Mrs. McJohnson out with the kiln today, so I'll ask if you can come too, okay? She'll probably say yes 'cuz you're like, her favorite student."

"I am?" Max blinks, surprised.

"Yeah, dummy." Isabel rolls her eyes. "You're an artistic genius. Here, hold this for a sec." She thrusts the box out, and Max takes it. It's a lot heavier than he was expecting, and he stumbles a bit. "Don't drop it!" Isabel yelps, hands flying back up. "People's projects are in there!"

"Well, you coulda told me that before you made me hold it!" Max complains, taking another step backwards as a few last-minute stragglers enter the room. Isabel just sighs and shakes her head. Max watches as she makes her way over to the desk in the corner of the room, talking to Mrs. McJohnson. She points at him, and the art teacher nods her head. Isabel turns around and gives him a wink and a thumbs up.

"Okay, class!" Mrs. McJohnson says loudly, standing up. "I'm going to be firing your projects today, so it'll be a free period. Everyone please be on your best behavior!" She looks over at where Cody's sitting in the front with Jeff and Colin. "Cody, dear, would you mind taking charge while I'm gone?"

"This classroom's gonna look like a bomb went off by the time we get back," Max mutters in Isabel's ear as they follow Mrs. McJohnson down the hall, and she snorts back a giggle. The kiln room's just a few feet away and she darts ahead and holds the door open for them.

"Oh, thank you, sweetie." Mrs. McJohnson smiles at her. "Oh, Max," she adds, pointing to a long, low table in the center of the room, "you can put that box down there, thank you."

He hefts the box onto the table with a grunt, taking in the room. There's shelves lining the walls, filled with various clay sculptures. "Man, I haven't seen one of these in forever," Max says, nodding his head at the kiln. "My mom used to have one of those in her workshop."

Mrs. McJohnson lights up. "Oh, is she a sculptor?"

"Yeah." Max leans his elbows on the table, not quite looking at her. "She was. She mostly did stuff with metal, though."

"Oh, that's lovely." She doesn't seem to have grasped the meaning of him using the past tense, and she pats her pockets, looking distracted. "Oh, darn. I forgot something in my office. I'll be right back, dears. Please don't touch anything!" She adds, disappearing out the door.

"Hey, check it out." Isabel elbows him in the side, pointing at one of the shelves. "It's your project. So that's what your spirit looks like, huh?"

"Uh, yeah." Max follows her finger. He'd decided to make Scapdragon 'cuz- well, why not? Maybe he can show the sculpture to it, try and win some friendship points or whatever. "I just gotta paint it after this. There's your, um..." His eyes fall on Isabel's project, right next to his, and he squints. "...thing?" He finishes, lamely. He's still not entirely sure what Isabel's been making.

"Geez, Max!" She frowns at him. "It's a dog, obviously."

"Oh." He can kinda see the resemblance now. "Don't you not like dogs?"

"I'm...trying to work on it." She scratches her cheek awkwardly, then shakes her head. "Anyway. What do you wanna tell me?"

"Uh-" He glances around, just in case there's any spirits or ghosts or actual live people lurking about, eavesdropping. The room's empty except for the two of them, but Max closes the door anyway, just for good measure. "Okay," he says, turning back to Isabel. "Just to warn you, this is kinda freaky so don't like, freak out or try to attack me or anything, alright?" Max takes a deep breath and lifts the sunglasses up.

"What's-" Isabel cuts off when she sees his eyes and she drops into a fighting stance, energy flaring up.

"I said don't attack me!" Max yelps, putting the table between them.

"Sorry." Isabel shakes her head again, dropping her fists. "I'm not gonna. It's just like- it's instinct?" She reaches across the table and takes the sunglasses off of Max's face, peering intently at him. "Man, you're right. That is super freaky."

"I've noticed," Max says dryly, squinting in the harsh overhead light. "Can I have those back, please? The light kinda hurts."

Isabel hands them back, mutely. She's still staring, and Max can practically see the wheels turning in her head. "You get possessed?" She asks, finally, and he nods. "Thought so. When?"

"I dunno." He shoves his hands in his jacket pockets, biting the inside of his cheek. "I found out on Saturday, but I dunno how long it's been there. It's-" Max takes a deep breath. "Iz, you should've seen it. It's this big shadowy thing with one eye and it-" He breaks off with a shudder. "It's evil." Thinking about the spirit's making the dull ache in his head start up again. He wants to add 'it's looking at me', but that sounds stupid, so he doesn't.

Isabel opens her mouth like she's about to say something, stopping when the door swings open and Mrs. McJohnson comes back in. "Let's talk about it at lunch," she hisses to Max, who nods again. "With Isaac."

"I found the key!" Mrs. McJohnson says brightly, holding it up. "Now we can use the kiln."

They spend the rest of the period helping her fire clay. Isabel's extra chatty, laying the jokes and stories on thick, and Max knows it's because she's trying to distract him from his possession. It works, mostly, and he's grateful for it.

"Well, that's enough for today, dears," Mrs. McJohnson says when the bell rings. "Thank you so much for helping out." She looks at Max. "I'm really looking forward to seeing your final project. It's so imaginative! Is it based on anything in particular?"

"Uh...kinda?" Max squirms a bit under her gaze. What's he gonna say, 'it's actually the big cranky supernatural snake creature that lives in my bat'? He shoots a quick glance over his shoulder at the bat in question. It sticking slightly out of his backpack, and he mentally apologizes to Scrapdragon, just in case it heard that thought.

"And Isabel, yours is wonderful as well!" Mrs. McJohnson continues, and Isabel lights up.

"Thanks!" She hooks her arm through Max's and drags him out the door. "Thanks for letting us help out!" She half-yells, and Max leans away with a wince. "Okay, lunch time," she tells him in an inside voice.

"I gotta go swing by my locker first." Max gently disentangles himself from Isabel. "I'll meet you guys there, okay?"

"Okay." Isabel shrugs. She starts back down the hall, then stops. "Hey," she says, quietly. "Don't worry about this, okay?" She makes a vague gesture at him. "We'll figure it out. Promise."

"Thanks." Max gives her a little smile, throat suddenly tight.

"Yeah." She smiles back. "You better get your butt in the cafeteria in ten minutes or I'm coming after you," Isabel says gravely, and Max snorts. She gives him an even bigger grin and darts off.

Max turns and heads the opposite direction to his locker. He grabs his lunch out of it and closes the door, then hesitates and opens it back up again. He pulls his bat out of his backpack and puts it in the locker, gently. Max is pretty sure the reason Scrapdragon's so violent all the time is because it's scared of the shadow spirit, and he can't really blame it. It'd be nice to give it a break.

Johnny's standing next to him in the hall when he closes the locker door again, and Max jumps. "Jesus!" He wheezes, clutching at his heart. "Where the heck did you come from?"

"Science." He points at the classroom right across the hall.

"Oh." Max frowns at him. "Hey, where'd you go this morning? You totally ditched me once we got here."

"Um." Johnny shifts a bit, looking awkward. "I had t'talk to my boys," he mutters, glancing away. His ears are going red again, Max notices. "Hey," he adds quickly, turning back to Max. "Yer eyes still all messed up?"

"Yeah." Max just sighs heavily in response. "I'm heading to lunch and me and Isaac and Isabel are gonna talk about stuff."

"I can come too," Johnny offers, and Max raises an eyebrow at him.

"Don't you have class?" He shoots him a teasing grin. "Aren't you the one who told me you value your education?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Johnny's staring at the ground now, very intently. "I value you too," he mumbles, flush creeping across the rest of his face. Max can't find a response to that for the life of him. "I don't mean it in a weird way!" Johnny protests loudly, snapping his head up. "I just- we're- we're friends, right? That's what friends do!" He says that last bit very aggressively.

Max clears his throat, trying to think of something to say. His heart's going off like a jackhammer and his face is all hot and he doesn't know why. "Uh, yeah?" It takes a couple tries to get his voice to work. God, what's wrong with him right now? "Um. Thanks for the offer, but- but, don't skip class, okay? I'll see you later." Max whirls around and speedwalks his now incredibly sweaty self down the hall. 

He's still trying to figure out what just happened when he enters the cafeteria. His heart is still going way too fast. Oh my God, Max thinks to himself. I'm having a heart attack and I'm going to die. He's yanked out of his thoughts by Isabel appearing out of nowhere and grabbing his hand, dragging him over to their usual table. Isaac's already there, attacking a tray of spaghetti with a disturbing gusto.

"There you are!" Isabel exclaims when she's shoved him down onto the bench. "I was just about to go looking for you."

"Uh, sorry." Max sets his backpack on the table and digs his lunch out, avoiding eye contact while he works on trying to get his heart to calm down. He looks up when it's back to a reasonable pace. "I was talking to Johnny."

"Figures." She plops down next to Isaac. "Do the thing," she demands, leaning forward.

"The wha-"

"Y'know." She interrupts, miming moving a pair of glasses up and down.

"What, here?" Max shoots a shifty glance around the cafeteria. "Iz, there's like a million people in here. What if someone sees?"

She just waves a dismissive hand. "It's fine. We're in the corner, anyway. Nobody's looking."

Max heaves another heavy sigh. "Fine," he grumbles, taking the sunglasses off, setting them down on the table. Isaac promptly chokes on a noodle.

"Woah!" He gasps out when Isabel's stopped thumping him on the back. "Dude, what the heck?" He puts his fork down, staring. "Isabel told me you're a medium now too but I wasn't expecting that." Isaac picks the sunglasses back up and holds them out to Max. "Put those back on, you're creeping me out."

"Gee, thanks," Max says dryly, but he does anyway. It's too bright in here.

"Okay." Isabel folds her hands under her chin. "Tell us everything. Start from the beginning."

"Well-" He pauses, lowering his voice. "So y'know the whole kidnapping thing on Friday? That Ectoplasm guy kept saying I was possessed and I couldn't stop thinking about him maybe being right, so on Saturday I went into the spirit world to see if I could find anything and I did." Just talking about the shadow spirit makes him feel cold, and Max suddenly wishes Johnny was here. "And my eyes have been doing this on and off and the light hurts. Oh, and I can see in the dark now?" Max adds that last bit almost as an afterthought. Isabel looks impressed.

Isaac eyes him. "So you're saying you're sensitive to light and you can see in the dark? Maybe you're just a vampire." He scoops up a forkful of spaghetti and shoves it into Max's face. "How's that garlic treating you?"

"Isaac, that is a terrible test." Max says, leaning back. "That stuff repels even normal humans. I have no idea how you're able to eat that."

Isaac just shrugs and sticks the fork in his mouth. "It's the only vegetarian option they had today," he says, voice muffled.

"So you're saying you haven't had the urge to bite anyone's neck or start wearing capes?" Isabel teases, giving Max a big, stupid grin, and he snorts.

"Don't you start too-"

"He's not a vampire." Cody glances at them from where he's passing by the table, holding an empty tray. He gives them a smile that's just a little bit too sharp. "I'd know."

There's a very prolonged silence as they watch him go over to the trash bins and dump the tray before exiting the cafeteria. They all exchange a glance. "No way," Max says, finally. "You think...?" Isabel just shrugs and shakes her head. Isaac doesn't say anything either, but he looks mortified. His face is bright red. "Let's just pretend that didn't happen," Max says quickly, and they both nod.

"Hey." Isabel frowns at him. "I just thought of something. Remember when Spender was fighting that grudge and he accidentally threw some light darts at us and you way overreacted?"

"I did not-"

"You totally did," she continues, steamrolling right over his protest. "Have you always been that sensitive to light?"

"Yeah, I guess," Max admits. "Ever since I was a little kid. It's usually not a big deal. I-" He cuts off, eyes going wide. "Oh my God. You saying that's because of the shadow spirit?"

"It might be." Isabel's frowning now, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Isaac's looking back and forth between the two of them, totally engrossed. "So it's possible you've been possessed for years and didn't realize it. That's not super unusual."

"Okay, then how'd I get in Mayview, then? Doesn't the barrier keep spectrals out, too?" Max unwraps his sandwich and takes a bite out of it, more for the distraction than anything else. He's lost his appetite.

"Hmm." Isabel switches hands and continues her tapping. "Maybe the spirit was just lying dormant 'til you got here? There's a lot of spectral energy in Mayview. Coulda like, zapped it or something? I know the barrier will still let people through if their spectral abilities aren't fully awakened yet."

"Maybe it was just waiting 'til you got here to wake up," Isaac cuts in. "King C says a lot of spirits will just hang out around the barrier hoping to hitch a ride in someone." He slurps up another noodle. "Guess that doesn't really explain anything if you really have been possessed for years, though. You ever been to Mayview before?"

"Uh-uh." Max shakes his head, putting his sandwich down. "My dad used to live here a long time ago, but he moved away before I was born."

Isabel makes another thoughtful noise, picking up her milk carton off her tray and chugging it down in one go. "Okay," she says, slapping it back down and wiping away her milk mustache with the back of her other hand, "let's say a spirit possessed you when were like, a baby or something, and it was just waiting for you to come to Mayview-"

"Kind of a stupid plan," Max mutters, and she frowns at him.

"I'm just spitballing here, okay? You got any other ideas?" Max just holds his hands up in surrender. "That's what I thought. What would it want here, though?"

"Picturesque sights?" Isaac offers, and both Max and Isabel look at him. "What?" He protests, going red. "Sometimes spirits want to go on vacation too!"

"Maybe." Isabel sounds doubtful. "I- oh my God." She cuts off, and Max can practically see the light bulb going off above her head. "Remember the Ghost Train mission, when that weird shadow thing came out of Spender?" She leans forward, looking eager. "What if it wasn't trying to attack us? What if it was trying to reach out to you?"

"So you think his spirit," Isaac points at Max, "and Spender are connected, somehow?"

"Yeah." Isabel sits back. "It's gotta be related to whatever happened thirteen years ago that he won't tell us about." She slams her fist down on the table, and Max jumps a bit. "This is so frustrating!" She huffs, crossing her arms. "We need more information. Trying to get anything out of Spender and my Grandpa is like trying to get water from a rock."

"Tell me about it," Isaac mumbles around another mouthful of spaghetti.

Max bites his lip for a moment. "I have a question. Is it possible to get like...unposessed, or something?" The thought of the shadow spirit having been in his head for years is making him feel kinda queasy. The thought of not being able to get rid of it makes him even queasier.

Isabel shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't think so." She puts her hand on Isaac's shoulder. "He asked the same thing." Isaac looks down, going quiet. The air turns staticky, and Max sees a couple of kids in the cafeteria glance around, confused. Isabel pats him, comfortingly, and there's a sharp crackle as she gets zapped. "Ow!"

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Isaac blurts out, scooting backwards. He looks horrified.

"It's cool." Isabel shakes her hand. "I can look into it again, okay? Maybe I'll turn up something new." she presses her cheek into her palm and sighs. "Man. This is just kind of a mess."

"Tell me about it," Max says, packing his lunch back into his backpack. He's definitely not hungry now. A sudden awful, terrible thought comes to him, and he turns to Isabel slowly. "I have a really bad idea."

She eyes him suspiciously. "What-" She starts, but she's interrupted by the bell ringing.

"You're not gonna like it." Max leans forward. "Look, can you guys meet me after school?"

"I can't." Isaac stands up, lifting his tray. "I've got a dentist appointment.”

Isabel pulls a face. "Yuck. I think Ed might be doing something too. I'll ask him. But I'll be there." She points a stern finger at Max. "I better not not like this thing too, um, much." She trails off, frowning. "You know what I mean." Isabel slaps the table and gets to her feet. "I'll meet you by your locker, okay?"

"Yeah." Max slings his backpack over his shoulders. It feels weird not having his bat in it. "See you then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> max: possibly starts developing a crush  
> max: oh my god i have a disease


	29. deal with the devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update for you guys today & there's an announcement at the end of the chapter so please check that out as well

Max is leaning against his locker, impatiently checking and re-checking the time. School ended almost fifteen minutes ago, so where is Isabel? Did something happen? Maybe he should text her- oh. He spots her barrelling down the hallway at top speed, Ed in tow. There she is.

"Sorry," Isabel pants, skidding to a stop in front of him. "There was this really annoying spirit on the third floor and it wouldn't let us pass 'til we guessed what color it was thinking of."

Max blinks at her. "What color was it thinking of?"

"Chartreuse," Ed pipes up. "Then Izzy made it mad 'cuz she she said wasn't a real color and then they got in a fight."

"Okay, first of all, it sounded super fake," Isabel says, defensively. "Like, seriously? Chartreuse? What even is that?"

"It's a shade between yellow and green," Max points out.

"That sounds even more fake!" She throws her hands up. "Is it yellow or is it green? Pick a side!" Isabel shakes her head. "Anyway, we're here now. What's your bad idea?" 

"So," he starts, cautiously, "when you said we needed more information that made me think- where do you go to learn stuff?"

"Oh, I know!" Ed raises his hand and waves it excitedly. "The library. Or the internet. Which you can, um, get at the library?" He frowns, slowly lowering his hand. "I'm not sure where I'm goin’ with this."

"I was thinking more like the news." Max sidles away from Isabel, just in case, watching her connect the dots.

"No. Uh-uh." She shakes her head. "You're right, that is a terrible idea and I do not like it." Isabel points at him, very sternly. "There is no way we're bringing Suzy into this."

"Look, she's not exactly my favorite person in the world either," Max protests. "Especially with the whole blackmail thing. But you gotta admit she doesn't give up 'til she finds out what she wants." Like with the whole blackmail thing, he thinks, sourly. He's still pretty miffed about that. "C'mon. What can it hurt?"

"It can hurt a lot!" Isabel yells. A passing teacher shushes her, and she ducks her head down, face going red. "If we ask her to start digging up dirt from thirteen years ago she's gonna wanna know why," she hisses, taking a step closer. "I can't just say it's spectral business! Too many people know about this stuff already that shouldn't!"

"So let's just make somethin’ up," Ed suggests.

"And even if you do tell her the truth it's not like she's gonna believe you." Max shrugs. "Or even if she does it's not like anyone's gonna believe her. Nobody reads her newspaper anyway."

Isabel's quiet for a long time, continually opening and closing her umbrella. Max and Ed both take a step back to avoid getting whacked in the face with it. "Fine," she relents, grudgingly. "But this better not blow up in our faces," Isabel adds, glaring at him.

"I'm not making any promises," Max says dryly, crossing the hall and stopping in front of the door to the Journalism Club's room. "Let's go make a deal with the devil," he quips, swinging it open. Man, he really hopes Suzy's here. He'd feel kinda silly after that comment if she wasn't.

She is.

She's sitting at the desk, busy cutting pictures out of a stack of magazines. Dimitri's sitting next to her, looking vaguely amused. They both glance up at his entrance, and Dimitri raises an eyebrow at him. Max just shakes his head. 'Don't ask,' he mouths.

"What do you want?" Suzy points the scissors at him, scowling. "This room's off limits to non-journalists. Unless you're here to finally give me that scoop on the Activity Club?" She says that last bit hopefully, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Actually, yes," Max replies flatly, hoping he's not making a terrible mistake. "I am. Or we are, I guess," he adds, looking at Ed and Isabel standing behind him. Isabel just crosses her arms, rolling her eyes.

Suzy just stares at him for a moment, like she's not sure she heard correctly. "Holy- oh my God!" She shrieks, standing up so fast her chair goes toppling over backwards. She comes barreling towards him at top speed, scissors still in hand, and Max yelps, ducking behind Isabel for protection. Suzy grabs him by the hood of his jacket and drags him bodily over to the desk. Max just resigns himself to his fate.

"What are you guys doing?" Dimitri whispers to him. A brief look of concern crosses his face before he goes back to being perfectly unruffled. "You know how hard I've worked to keep her from getting too close to the truth?"

"It's important." Isabel's voice sounds right in his ear and Max jumps a bit, startled. "Trust us?" She gives him a small, hopeful smile.

"Hm." Dimitri sounds unconvinced. "I'll see how this plays out, at least."

"Colin!" Suzy screams, slamming the door to the room shut, completely oblivious to their hushed conversation. "It's happening! Get the recorder!"

"I can't." Collin pops up from under the desk, holding a wad of paper towels. "It's broken, remember?"

"Jesus Christ!" Max blurts, staring at him. "What're you doing under there? You scared me half to death."

"Trying to clean up all the glitter glue Suzy spilled earlier," Collin says crossly, tossing the towels towards the trash can in the corner of the room. They miss and flutter sadly to the floor.

There's a screeching noise as Suzy turns the chair back upright. "Sit." She pats the seat. "Spill the beans."

Ed regards the chair dubiously. "I don't think we're all gonna fit-"

"Okay, hold it!" Isabel says loudly, holding her hand up. "Nobody's saying anything 'til I say something first!" The room falls silent. "Thank you." She grabs Suzy by the shoulders and presses her down into the chair. Suzy goes down meekly, face pink. "We're here 'cuz Max thinks we could use your help and I'm humoring him."

"Thanks," Max deadpans, and Ed snorts next to him.

Suzy frowns up at Isabel. "What do you need my help for? No, wait, don't say anything yet," she adds hastily as Isabel opens her mouth, pulling a tiny notebook and a pen out of her pocket. "Okay, now we're good."

"We need you to find out what happened in Mayview thirteen years ago," Isabel says bluntly. "I'm not getting anywhere on my end."

There's a scribbling noise as Suzy writes that down, then pauses expectantly. Nobody offers up any other information, and she frowns. "I'm gonna need more than that."

"That's all I know."

"Seriously?" Suzy puts the pen down, scandalized. "That gives me nothing to go off! I'm a hard-nosed investigative journalist, not a magician!" She gestures at Ed and Max. "Either of you wanna give me something?"

"They don't know anything either," Isabel interrupts. "But-" She hesitates, biting her lip. "I know it was something bad. Something no one can remember. People might've died?"

"Oh my God." Suzy sits up straight, eyes going wide. "Unsolved murders."

"Are you crazy?" Collin yelps, shaking her. "Do not get involved in this! We should call the police!"

"Collin, shh!" She bats him away. There's a huge gremlin-like smile spreading across her face and Max does not like it one bit. "This could make me famous."

Max eyes Dimitri, pointing a questioning finger at Suzy, and he shrugs one shoulder. "You get used to it," he murmurs, giving Max a crooked smile in return. 

"Okay." Suzy slaps the notebook shut and leans back in the chair, crossing one leg over the over dramatically. "Let's say I help you investigate. What do I get in return?"

Everyone looks at Max. "What?" He protests, shifting uncomfortably.

"This was your idea," Isabel points out. "What's she get?"

"Um." He fumbles desperately for an answer. Should they just make something up or what? "Isabel will tell you everything you want to know," he says firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Wha- I will not!"

"Isabel." He puts his other hand on her other shoulder and stares deeply into her eyes. "You are a wonderful, talented, amazing person, and that's why you're best qualified for this job." He lets go and steps back, dodging her oncoming shove. "Also, cuz, y'know, you're in charge of the Activity Club."

She just scowls at him and crosses her arms. "Fine." Isabel turns back to Suzy. "Can I borrow a piece of paper and a pen?" Suzy hands them over eagerly. "Thanks." Isabel writes something on the paper and folds it in half, holding it out. "Look, that's my phone number, okay? Text me when you've found something out and I'll answer a question in return."

Suzy's smile dims. "It should be the other way around. Tell me something first."

"Take it or leave it." Isabel makes as if to withdraw her arm and Suzy snatches the paper from her hand.

"Fine." She narrows her eyes Isabel. "But your answers better be good."

"Trust me," Max says dryly, "they'll be on an entirely different level of reality " Dimitri snorts softly from the desk and Suzy whips her head around to stare at him. He just gives her one of his patent lazy smiles. "And now we gotta get going," Max says loudly, before Suzy can try wheedling anything else out of them.

"Hey!" She protests. "I have more questions!"

"I'm very sure you do." He ushers Ed and Isabel out of the room. "That's what makes you such a good journalist. Bye!" He calls, getting a glimpse of Suzy's stunned face before the door closes behind them.

"Thanks a lot." Isabel slugs him in the shoulder. "Now she's gonna be texting me non-stop."

"Ow." Max frowns at her, rubbing his arm. "Well, did you have any better ideas?" He gestures vaguely at his face, then taps the sunglasses. "I got an evil spirit living inside me, Iz. I'm clutching at straws here."

She sighs, softening. "Okay, I guess it can't hurt to have more people looking into this. I'll figure out what to tell Suzy later."

"You think she's actually gonna find anythin’?" Ed asks, looking back and forth between Max and Isabel. "I mean, if we couldn't..." He trails off, hesitating for a moment. "Why don't we just ask Mr. Spender?"

Isabel snorts loudly. "He's not gonna tell us anything. He said he won't." Her face twists savagely, her hurt almost tangible. "This is just something we gotta figure out ourselves."

"Oh." Ed goes quiet, and there's an awkward silence.

"Hey," Isabel says brightly, slapping him on the back, trying to break the tension. "C'mon, let's get home so we can finally beat that game level we're stuck on." She glances at Max. "You wanna come over? I think we've got an extra controller somewhere."

"I'm...not really a big video game person?" Max offers, tentatively.

"Buzzkill." She sticks her tongue out at him.

"I mean, I'll still come if you want-" He starts, but Isabel's not paying attention. She's looking at something over his shoulder, a big grin spreading across her face. Max eyes her suspiciously before twisting around. He doesn't see anything. "What?"

"Nothing." She shoves him lightly. "You go home. Go out the side doors," she demands, pointing down the hallway.

"Isn't the main entrance closer?" Max raises an eyebrow at her.

"Just do it!" She looks like she's going to shove him again, and Max dances away, hands raised in surrender.

"Okay, okay! I'll do it."

"Good." She looks weirdly smug. "See ya tomorrow for morning patrol!" She gives him a salute, then turns around and marches away. Ed gives him a goodbye wave before running to catch up. Max just watches them go, frowning. That was super suspicious, but he decides he's not going to question it. His head's starting to hurt again.

Max pushes through the side doors and immediately bumps into a very warm someone standing directly outside them. "Hey," he says, eyebrow raised. "Is standing in doorways your hobby or something?"

Johnny glances up from his phone, distracted, going red when he sees Max. "Uh- sorry? What're ya still doin' here? Ya doin' a patrol or somethin'?"

"Nah." Max sticks his hands in his jacket pockets, shivering a bit. Geez, it's cold out here. "We were talking to Suzy."

Johnny just blinks at him. "What for?"

"We-" A snowflake lands on the sunglasses, sending a rivulet of water trickling down the lens, and Max lets out a puff of air in irritation. He can't stand wearing these things. "Hold on, I got a question first." He takes the glasses off, wincing a bit in the bright sunlight. "How's it looking?"

"I can't tell when you're squintin'." Johnny leans in closer and Max swallows, suddenly sweaty. It's just 'cuz of Johnny's powers, he tells himself. That's all. "Huh. Looks like they're back to normal."

"Woah, really?" Finally, Max thinks.

"Yeah. It's just your usual big brown eyes-" He freezes, flushing. Max freezes too, feeling even sweatier now. He's suddenly very aware of the fact that he has to look up a bit to meet Johnny's gaze and now he can't stop looking and they're both just staring at each other and-

"Uh, thanks," he says, trying to laugh it off, but it comes out breathless and stupid. "I was worried I was gonna forget what color my eyes were for a moment there." He takes a step back, 'cuz he's way too hot right now, and promptly slips on a patch of ice. Max yelps and makes a desperate grab for Johnny, who lunges forward and yanks him back upright. He stumbles against him, jerking away immediately.

"Sorry," Johnny says hastily, jumping back as well. "I didn't- did I burn ya?"

"Uh, no, you're good." Max takes a deep, deep breath, forcing himself to calm the heck down. What's wrong with him, anyway? It's gotta be because of the shadow spirit. Yeah. That sounds about right. "Hey." He tips his head to the side, looking at Johnny. "How come you're still here? You didn't get detention again, did you?" Max hadn't seen him in shop class, so he'd assumed the worst.

"Nah. I was just, um- I'm workin' on somethin'." He hikes his backpack up, and Max hears metal clanking quietly. It's a sound he's grown very attuned to. "So, uh," Johnny continues, jerking a thumb towards the door, "y'said somethin' about Suzy?"

"Ugh. Yeah." He rolls his eyes, then nudges Johnny with his elbow. "Wanna walk home with me? I'll tell you about it."

"Uh. Sure?" Johnny's heat picks up and Max carefully backs away. The snow on the ground's starting to melt, and he grimaces as he steps in a puddle. "I usually walk home with m'boys," Johnny continues, sounding flustered for some reason, "but they left already."

"Guess you're stuck with me." Max grins at him and he goes red again. "Let's go," he adds, pushing Johnny forward. "I have homework I need to get done." They walk in silence for a while, and Max is probably standing closer to Johnny than he needs to be, but hey. He's cold. "So," he starts when they're a good distance away from the school and therefore out of range of any eavesdroppers, "Isabel thinks the shadow spirit is connected to Spender and whatever happened in Mayview, so we asked Suzy to look into it 'cuz she's really good at digging up dirt."

"Y'sure that's a good idea?" Johnny sounds doubtful. "What if she finds out about...y'know." He gestures at a large spirit that's standing in the middle of the road, slurping up chunks of dirty snow.

Max rubs the back of his neck. "Well, a bunch of people already know already, right? I guess one more can't hurt." Even if it is Suzy. He's not exactly happy about that, 'cuz if she does find out about spectral stuff, she'll never stop bugging him. "But I just-" He stops, standing still on the sidewalk, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I need this thing out of me." Max half-opens one eye and looks at Johnny. "Sorry. That sounds pretty selfish, huh?"

"Nah, I get it." Johnny's staring at the ground. "I'd do the same if I was in your shoes." He glances up and they make brief eye contact before they both hastily look away. "Least Forge isn't evil," he adds, then frowns. "I think."

"Mhm." Max eyes him. "How's your cut?" He makes a twirling motion with his finger. "Lemme see it."

"Ya don't have t'be so worried about it," Johnny protests, but he turns his head anyway. The cut runs the full length of his right cheek, diagonal, a bright, angry red. It looks a little better than it did yesterday, but it's still pretty nasty. "It doesn't hurt," Johnny says, and Max raises an eyebrow at him. "Okay, fine, it does a lil'. But me an' t'boys think it's kinda cool."

Max snorts at that. "Of course you do." He gets a sudden, stupid urge to reach out and touch Johnny's face and it freaks him way out, so he just shoves his hands deep into his pockets and starts walking again, at a quicker pace this time. Johnny catches up easily. "What're you working on?" Max asks in an attempt to change the subject, nodding his head towards Johnny's backpack.

Johnny flushes again and Max blinks, confused. "It's, uh, um- I'll show ya when I'm done, okay?" He blurts out, looking away.

"Wow, the anticipation's gonna kill me," Max teases, poking him in the side. Johnny jumps a bit. "But okay. You really do like building stuff, huh?" He pauses for a moment. "Guess it's better than fighting people."

"Uh," is all Johnny says.

They pull up at the store and Max leans against the wall, ignoring the doors whooshing open next to him. It's starting to snow again, and he blinks a bit as a flake makes its way into his eye. Johnny's staring at him again, and it's making him feel jittery. "What?" Max demands, feeling his face heat up.

"Nothin'." Johnny looks away quickly.

"Hmm." Max eyes him, unconvinced. There's a moment's silence while they both stand in the falling snow, faces red. "Well," he says eventually, trying to break the weird tension, "you wanna come in or what? I mean, we're not doing anything exciting tonight but," he ducks his head, staring at the ground, "we can hang."

"Sure." Max glances up to see Johnny smiling at him, all sharp and wide, and God that makes his stomach do something weird. He just whirls around and marches into the store, Johnny trailing close behind. He definitely just needs some sleep. He's all worn out from dealing with the shadow spirit and it's screwing with his head.

He resolves to go to bed early tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> due to some personal issues i'm going to be putting this fic on a short hiatus. i promise i have no intention of abandoning it, but i just don't have the energy to write atm
> 
> i just got the news that my cat that i've had for 16 years has cancer, and we'll be putting her to sleep tomorrow so she won't suffer anymore
> 
> thanks everyone for your understanding and patience, i'll try to be back soon


	30. snowmelt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter dedicated to [angel](https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69634982_2877982692215062_5595780244188430336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_oc=AQkFzYXTt_2DowKJDtEiRhiIhpymlqlGQTaOwnjhD3x-0qPQQZ6CjI2O4uscghNp4aD1KBdZnEzNME2y9LqWLdIK&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-2.fna&oh=35190b44295660bccebd9e2abf406229&oe=5E3B2141)
> 
> i love and miss you, baby girl
> 
> -
> 
> thank you all so much for your patience and kind words <3 it really does mean a lot to me
> 
> i'm starting to get back into the swing of things, so here's a real doozy of a chapter

Max is outside standing on a ladder holding a big cardboard box when Johnny wanders up to the store a few days later. He doesn't think he's noticed him, 'cuz he's really focused on whatever it is he's doing. His tongues sticking out a bit, and it's stupid cute, and Johnny has to physically force himself to stop staring. "Hey, Max!" He calls, reaching out and shaking the ladder a bit.

"Jesus-" Max breaks off with a yelp, making a desperate clutch for the store sign. He glares down at Johnny. "I knew it. Only you or Isabel would do something like that."

Johnny just shrugs. "What're ya doin'?"

"Hanging up Christmas decorations." He pulls a strand of tinsel out of the box. "Usually my dad starts doing it after Halloween, but all of the Christmas stuff got lost during the move." He puts 'lost' in air quotes. "So he ordered a bunch more and it came in this morning." Max chucks the tinsel at him. "You can help, since you almost killed me earlier."

"It's like, a four foot drop." Johnny catches the tinsel and gestures between Max and the ground. "Even if ya did fall it wouldn't kill ya."

Max rolls his eyes. "Well, you almost gave me a heart attack." He clambers down from the ladder and puts the box on the ground before picking up one end of the tinsel and looping it around Johnny's neck like it's a scarf. "This is your punishment," he adds, patting him on the chest.

"Uh." Johnny's grateful Max has his attention focused on digging through the box, 'cuz he knows his face has just gone bright red. "Sure. I mean-" His voice cracks and he swallows, trying again. "I don't really have any other plans for today, anyway."

"Really?" Max looks up, holding a string of lights. "I thought you and your friends would be out wreaking havoc and stuff since it's, y'know, Saturday."

Johnny feels his blush deepen as he desperately tries to think of an excuse for why he's here instead of hanging with his boys. They'd practically threatened him with violence if he didn't (as Stephen put it) "put a move on", but it's not like he's gonna tell Max that. "They're, uh- they're busy?" He fumbles, playing with the tinsel nervously.

"Huh. Okay." Max shrugs one shoulder, spinning the lights around his finger. "Guess I can't complain, since that means I get you instead." He gives him a teasing grin and Johnny freezes, trying to figure out whatever that means. Should he read into that? No, he reminds himself, firmly. He's just being friendly, that's all. "Hey, catch," Max calls, jerking him out of his thoughts. He holds his hand out automatically, snatching the object out of the air. "You can hang that up 'cuz you're taller."

He looks down to see he's holding a sprig of mistletoe and almost reflexively throws it into the street. "What-" Johnny gasps out, pointing at it. "Why do-" His voice is just a squeak right now and _God_ that's embarrassing.

"Yeah, it's pretty dumb." Max looks away, cheeks slightly pink. "But my dad really wanted it, so..." He shrugs again and lets out an awkward laugh. "Just stick it in corner where people won't notice it, okay? I'm gonna do the lights."

Johnny finds he can't even reply to that, so he just nods and climbs up the ladder. He stuffs the mistletoe as far out of sight as possible, face burning. Just calm down, he tells himself. It's not like anything's gonna happen with it. It's just that now he's thinking about kissing Max and he can't stop thinking about it and- he shakes his head violently and jumps off the ladder.

"Jesus!" Max starts when Johnny lands next to him, dropping the string of lights. "You trying to break your leg?"

"I've jumped off'a taller than that before?"

Max snorts at that. "I'm sure," he says dryly. "Your landing sucks, dude. It's like watching an elephant trying to do acrobatics." He elbows him in the side. "I gotta teach you how to do it for real one of these days."

"Uh," Johnny says, intelligently. "Y'know elephants can't jump, right?"

"No way." Max eyes him. "You some kinda trivia master?"

"I just- I used t'read a lot when I was a kid, okay?" Johnny protests, flushing. "Look it up!"

"All right, all right." He holds his hands up, grinning. "I believe you. I was just surprised." He's quiet for a moment. It looks like he wants to say something, but he just shakes his head instead. "Let's get the rest of this stuff up." Max hands one end of the lights to him. "It's cold out here."

"What, you're not gonna use me as your personal heater?" Johnny teases, watching Max go red.

"I do not- I don't do that! Okay, I do, but not that much," he adds in response to Johnny's skeptical look. "I'll stop if you want me to," Max mumbles, looking at the ground.

"No, it's- I don't mind. It's fine," Johnny says hastily, and it's true. Sure, Max being all up in his personal space makes him feel like he's going to have a heart attack, but he also likes it. There's no way he can admit that, though.

"You sure?" Max sounds kinda surprised.

He nods, feeling his temperature shoot up in response. "Let's, um- let's finish this already!" He blurts, snatching the entire strand of lights out of Max's hands. Max just blinks and shrugs.

They get the lights and the tinsel hung fairly quickly, even though Johnny couldn't resist shaking the ladder again, which made Max threaten to magnetize it to him. It's starting to snow again by the time they finish. It's very picturesque, Johnny thinks, taking a step back and surveying the store.

"Looks good," Max says approvingly next to him. Johnny dares a glance at him and then wishes he hadn't, 'cuz Max looks ridiculously cute and soft in his oversized sweater and with snowflakes in his hair.

"Um, yeah." He clears his throat. "It does."

"Thanks for helping." Max gives him a smile that Johnny is pretty sure is fond and he almost melts right into the sidewalk. "I gotta get this thing back into the shed now." He points at the ladder.

"I got it!" Johnny darts forward.

"No, I-" Max sighs and gives in. "Okay, if you really want to. At least let me carry one end." He reaches forward and pauses when the doors slide open. Max's little sister is standing there, a huge grin on her face. "What's up?" Max asks her, raising an eyebrow.

Zoey looks positively delighted, which immediately makes Johnny suspicious. "You guys aren't following the rules," she announces, holding back a giggle.

"Zoey, what are you even talking about?" Max frowns at her. "There's no-" She just points upwards and he cuts off, eyes going wide. "Oh no," he says. "Absolutely not."

Johnny follows Zoey's finger up and realizes with horror that he and Max are standing directly under the corner where he'd hung the mistletoe. Stupid, he thinks to himself. Way to go! "Um," is all he says, voice shaking a bit.

"You gotta do it!" Zoey crosses her arms, pouting. "It's tradition!"

"Yeah, and I don't care!" Max says loudly, going bright red. "It's a dumb tradition anyway!"

"Max-"

"No!" He yells at her, pointedly avoiding looking at Johnny, which is fine with him, because he's pretty sure he's blushing harder right now than he ever has in his entire life.

"I'll tell Dad you're the one who broke all the old Christmas decorations if you don't." She puts her hands on her hips and glares at him.

"Wha- that was an accident and you know it!" Max exclaims. "I dropped the box down the stairs, okay? I just told Dad they got lost 'cuz I didn't want him to be disappointed with me." He mumbles that last bit.

"You want him to keep believing that?" Zoey's looking very smug now, and Max huffs.

"Geez, alright! Fine!" Max whirls around and before Johnny can realize what's happening he's grabbing him by the front of his shirt and kissing him on the cheek and Johnny promptly lights on fire. "Woah!" Max yelps, shoving him into a snowbank. He hears a semi-maniacal laugh as Zoey darts off, Max calling after her.

Johnny just lies there in a steadily increasing melted puddle of snow for a good couple of minutes, freaking out. Max had just _kissed him._ On the cheek, yeah, but _still._ There's no way that just happened. Maybe he's dead, Johnny thinks, and this is just some weird sort of afterlife. Or maybe he's just dreaming. He slaps himself in the face, wincing at the sting. Okay. This is definitely real life. "Oh my God," Johnny breathes, dazed. The butterflies in his stomach are back in full force.

He hears footsteps crunching and then Max reappears in his line of view, looking down. "You okay?"

"Uh," Johnny manages, voice strangled. "Yep. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're lying in a puddle right now." Max holds his hand out and Johnny hesitantly takes it. The contact sends an electrical jolt through him and he bites his lip as Max pulls him to his feet. "Um," Max starts, looking away quickly, "sorry about that?" He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, face bright red. "I just- Zoey got me mad but I shouldn't have done...that. Especially without asking." He glances up and they make eye contact briefly. "Sorry," Max says again, letting go of Johnny's hand and stepping away.

Johnny has absolutely no idea how to respond. He really, really wants to say that it's fine, he didn't mind, but then Max would probably be suspicious, but he also doesn't want to say it's not fine because he doesn't want Max to feel bad- he shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Max is just standing there, looking nervous. "Uh, I'm not- I don't-" Johnny fumbles for words. " 'm not upset or anythin'? You- ya just surprised me, is all."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Max snorts a little, but he looks relieved. He points a finger over his shoulder at the store. "Also I'm like, 90 percent sure Zoey saw you catch on fire again so, uh..." He trails off. "Which is my fault, I guess."

It's almost always your fault, Johnny wants to tell him. You have no idea what you do to me. He doesn't dare voice that thought, so he just clears his throat instead. "Whoops?" He offers, weakly.

The doors slide open suddenly and Max's dad sticks his head out. "Hey, kids! Get inside before you catch a cold." He frowns at Johnny. "Where's your coat, bud?"

"Uh." Johnny looks down at himself. He's just wearing a T-shirt, 'cuz that's about all he can handle these days without overheating. He definitely doesn't need a winter jacket, which is pretty much the only perk of having these stupid powers. " 'm not cold?"

"You sure?" Max's dad sounds dubious. "Hey, if you need one-"

"He's good, trust me!" Max says loudly, grabbing Johnny by the wrist and yanking him inside. "Don't worry."

"Well, if you say so." He still seems unconvinced, but he drops it. "I'll get the ladder, okay?"

"Oh, I forgot about that," Max says, guiltily. "Thanks."

"Anything for my buddy bear." He leans down and plants a big kiss on his forehead, and Max screws his face up in disgust. Johnny can't hold back a laugh and Max gives him a dirty look, elbowing him in the side. He watches as Max's dad heads back outside and picks up the ladder. "Hey, it looks great out here!" He calls, excitedly. "Good job!" Then he hefts the ladder over his shoulder and disappears around the corner of the store.

Johnny turns back to find Max staring at him. "What?"

"How's your cut?" Max blurts out, gesturing vaguely at his own face.

Johnny just blinks. "It's fine," he complains mildly. "I dunno why yer so hung-up on it."

"It's because I'm an incorrigible worrywart," Max says, very seriously. "C'mon. Lemme see."

"I don't think either of those words are real," he protests jokingly, but he turns his head to the side anyway. He jumps a bit when Max touches his cheek, swallowing hard. "Your hands are cold," he mumbles, trying to make up a reasonable excuse.

"Sorry." Max sounds vaguely amused. "I didn't think you could even feel cold stuff anymore."

"I can too," Johnny retorts weakly.

"Mhm. It looks a lot better than it did, anyway." He traces the line of the cut with his thumb, gently, and Johnny freezes, heart pounding. "Dunno if it'll scar or not, though."

He wants to make a comment about how a scar would be cool, but all that comes out is a strangled squeak. Max doesn't move his hand, and it takes every single bit of his willpower for him to not close his eyes and lean into the touch, because then Max will _know_ and he'll have to go run away and live in the woods for the rest of his life. He can feel his face heating up, and there's no way Max won't be able to feel it, and, and-

"Max, quit torturing the poor boy." Max's dad yells at them as he reenters the store, and they both jump.

"Wha- I'm- I'm not-" Max splutters, dropping his hand hastily and glaring at his dad. "What're you even talking about?"

"Ah, you'll figure it out someday." He sighs dreamily and gives Max a smile. Max just rolls his eyes. "Hey, if you guys aren't gonna help out in the store, go upstairs, okay? I'm expecting it to be busy."

"You need any help?" Max offers, and his dad shakes his head.

"Zoey's my helper today." He points at where she's standing behind the counter, grinning from ear-to-ear. She gives Johnny a thumbs up. He just stares firmly at the ground.

"Oh. Okay." Max nudges him, and he jumps again. "Let's go to my room." He starts off for the stairs and Johnny follows, meekly.

"I'm onto you guys," Zoey declares when they pass by her. "You can't fool me."

"Uh, about what?" Max raises an eyebrow and she folds her arms with a huff.

"Don't try and play dumb." She glares at them. "I saw you," she points at Johnny, "go on fire again. Do you have superpowers?" Zoey adds that last bit hopefully, giving him puppy eyes.

"Uh," Johnny starts.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight." Max holds up a finger. "You didn't see anything."

"Yes I did-"

"Nope! You didn't." He taps her on the nose. "Just forget about it."

"I'm gonna get proof someday!" She yells after them as Max pushes Johnny up the stairs. "I mean it!"

"Why don't you just tell her?" Johnny asks when they emerge into the living room, and Max groans.

" 'Cuz if I do she'll tell my dad and then he'll get all worried and it'd just be a mess." He sighs loudly. "It's been hard enough trying to make up excuses for all the Club stuff I do."

"Oh." Johnny's quiet for a moment. "I don't think my dad's noticed anything."

"Seriously? Not even..." Max points at his mouth. "...y'know?" Johnny just shakes his head in response and he raises an eyebrow. "Wow. Well, I like your weird shark teeth," he adds, bumping Johnny with his shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "They're very...you?"

Johnny just blinks, feeling his face heat up again. "Thought you said they were freaky?"

"Well-" Max ducks his head, ears going pink. "Yeah, I thought that a first," he admits. "But- y'know, you get used to them?" He shrugs and then shoves Johnny towards his room. "C'mon. Zoey's probably eavesdropping." Max flops down on his bed when they enter, then immediately pops back up again. "Oh yeah, I just remembered." He looks at Johnny. "Do you do Christmas?"

"Uh, yeah." He cautiously sits down on the edge of the bed. "Usually I do it with one of m'boys." His dad hasn't been home for Christmas in the past three years, and he knows better than to get his hopes up for this year.

"Oh. Okay. Good. I mean-" Max fumbles and drops back down with a groan, pulling a pillow over his face. "I was gonna say, you could come over here if you wanted but if you've got plans-"

"I don't know what I'm doin' yet," Johnny cuts in hastily. "So, y'know..." He trails off, feeling awkward.

Max lifts the pillow a bit and looks at him. There's an expression on his face Johnny can't read, and it makes his breath catch. "Well, the offer still stands," he says after a long silence.

"Yeah." He swallows hard, suddenly feeling nervous. "Um. I'll think about it?" There's a weird tension in the room, and he doesn't know if it's good or bad or- or what. He glances away, just in time to see PJ float in through the window.

"Oh, hey, PJ." Max sits up, brushing against Johnny in the process, and his heart skips a couple beats. "What's up?"'

"I did it!" The ghost kid says in an overawed voice. "I finished my mission!"

"You found the Doorman?" Max leans forward a bit, eager. That definitely gets Johnny's attention. So the Doorman _is_ okay. He didn't- he didn't hurt him too bad, then.

PJ nods wildly, eyes huge. "Yeah! Remember how I told you he was in those caves by the lake? Those things are basically a huge maze and it took me forever to actually find him but I did it! I told him you said that your friend said he wanted to see him and then he- the Doorman, I mean- said he'd love to see your friend and-"

"Woah, woah!" Max holds up his hands. "PJ, breathe!" Johnny doesn't point out that since he's a ghost he doesn't actually need to breathe, 'cuz it's kinda cute how concerned Max is for him. "That's awesome news, though. Great job." He extends one hand and PJ smacks his own against it. "I'll tell Isaac, okay? He'll be really happy. Then we can go visit the Doorman and-"

"I'm comin' too," Johnny interjects, and Max looks at him, surprised. "I wanna-" He looks down, toying with the corner of Max's blanket. "I wanna, um. I wanna apologize." He mumbles that last bit. "For, y'know. Settin' him on fire and all."

"Okay." Max gives him a smile that makes his eyes go all soft and Johnny almost dies right there and then. He turns back to PJ. "Do you think you'd be able to lead us back to him?"

"Uh-huh!" PJ says, proudly. "Just let me know when. Oh, I gotta go find Lefty and tell him I did it!" He zips off through the wall, and Max laughs.

"Man, he's so excited about that."

"Yeah." Johnny looks at the spot on the wall the kid had disappeared through. "He's kinda cute."

"Yeah, he is." Max settles back on the bed. "It kinda feels like he's my little brother sometimes."

Johnny looks at him for a bit. "Y'really like takin' care o'people, huh?"

"I- what? No, I don't!" Max sputters, going red. "What- why're you saying that?"

" 'Cuz you're like, always obsessin' over me for starters-"

"I do not-"

"-and 'cuz of the way y'talk to your family and PJ and the rest o'the Club." He grins at him. "It's kinda sweet how much ya care."

"Shut up!" Max throws the pillow at him, obviously flustered. Johnny just snorts back a laugh and bats it aside. "C'mon, dude." He scowls, crossing his arms. "You're ruining my street cred."

"Yer cute when yer embarrassed." The words slip out before he can stop them and he freezes, heart lurching. God, why did he have to say that? He can't even make his voice work to come up with any excuses to make that sound less weird.

Max is just staring at him, and Johnny finds he can't look away. He feels trapped, like he's a deer in the headlights. There's a long silence, and he sees Max swallow. "Uh, thanks?" He says eventually with an awkward laugh, and the moment passes. Johnny whips his head around and stares resolutely at the window, heart going a million miles an hour.

Please don't ask about it, he begs internally. Just forget it ever happened. He feels the bed shifts as Max stands up and he squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for him to tell him to get out or-

"Hey," Max says, interrupting his frantic thoughts. "Do you wanna like, I don't know. Go outside for a bit? It's stuffy in here."

Johnny glances up cautiously. Max is standing in front of him, not quite looking at him. He doesn't seem mad or anything, so maybe he's just brushing that comment aside. He sure hopes so. "Uh. Sure?"

"Great." Max grabs his hand and pulls him out the room and down the stairs. The store's full of people by now. Johnny's pretty sure he's never seen it this busy before. "Hey, Dad," Max says, coming to a halt in front of the counter, "we're gonna go out for a bit."

"Have fun!" Max's dad grins at them. "Oh, wait. Hold on a sec." He bends down, disappearing out of view. Johnny looks at Max who looks at his sister who just shrugs. "Here we go!" He pops back up, holding a big, chunky knitted scarf. He passes it over to Johnny, who takes it hesitantly.

"Dad." Max sounds exasperated.

"You gotta wear something, okay?" Max's dad leans on the counter, serious for once. "It's cold out."

"Oh. Um, okay?" Johnny says back, nervously. "Thanks?"

Max just shakes his head. "We'll be back later." He still hasn't let go of his hand, and he leads him out the store.

"I don't really need this," Johnny says plaintively when they're outside, lifting the scarf up a bit. He'd probably just overheat if he put it on. "But it was nice of yer dad, I guess."

"Yeah, well." Max shrugs, dropping Johnny's hand. "He worries. Guess I get that from him." He peeks in through the store window and then turns back to Johnny. "I'll take it if you don't want it."

"Oh. Sure." He holds it out. Max reaches over to take it and their hands brush briefly and Johnny jerks back, dropping the scarf on the ground. Max just stares at it for a good couple seconds before side-eying him.

"Thanks so much," he deadpans. He bends down and picks it up, shaking it out a bit before looping it Johnny's neck. "You can dry that out since you're the one who got it wet in the first place."

"Uh," Johnny responds. He's pretty sure he said the exact same thing when Max pulled a similar stunt with the tinsel earlier. He's really hot now, and he doesn't know if it's 'cuz of the scarf or-

"Uh-oh," Max says suddenly, and he's about to ask what when someone pelts him in the back with a snowball. He turns around just in time to see another one hurtling towards him. Johnny reacts automatically, swinging his arm in a wide arc and leaving a smear of fire hanging in the air. The snowball melts almost immediately, and the fire flickers out, leaving him wide-eyed and weak-kneed. 

"Hey, no fair!" Stephen complains from where he's standing in a snowbank on the edge the sidewalk, arms full of more snowballs. "That's cheating."

"I don't think he meant t'do that," Ollie intones, putting his hand on Stephen's shoulder. RJ nods from where they're standing next to him.

"Ugh. Fine." Stephen drops his armful of weapons and wades out of the snowbank. "We came over to see what ya guys were getting up to," he tells Johnny. "We- woah!" He points at the store, mouth dropping open. "Is that mistletoe?"

Max and Johnny exchange a glance and take a careful step away from each other, going equal shades of red. "Maybe," Max says shiftily.

"Oh my God." Stephen lets out a wild cackle. "Did you-" He cuts off with a yelp as Johnny puts him in a chokehold and drags him down the sidewalk.

"Stop talkin', stop talkin', stop talkin'!" He hisses under his breath, releasing him when they're a good distance away from Max.

"Oh my God," Stephen says again, a huge grin spreading across his face. "You totally did." He punches Johnny in the shoulder. "Sheesh, man. It's about time."

"Shut up!" Johnny's dangerously close to catching on fire. God, he really wants to strangle Stephen right now. "It just- we didn't-" He casts a furtive glance over his shoulder at Max, who's just standing there looking confused. "He just kissed me on the cheek is all, okay?" He says this in a harsh whisper, said cheeks going supernova. He still hasn’t told his friends about his failed confession. It’s just too embarrassing. 

"That's still something," Ollie rumbles, and Johnny jumps a bit. Geez, he sure can move quiet sometimes. "You're making progress, bro." RJ nods again and gives him a thumbs up, beaming.

Johnny just groans and buries his face in his hands. He really doesn't wanna tell 'em Max only did it 'cuz his little sister was blackmailing him and that it didn’t really mean anything. "...thanks," he mumbles, eventually.

"Is this a private meeting or can I join?" Max cuts in, suddenly appearing next to Johnny, and he definitely jumps more than a bit this time. He didn't hear any of that, did he? Johnny really, really hopes not. "What're we talking about?"

"Uh, just...stuff?" Johnny offers weakly. The rest of the Jang give him looks and he glowers back at them.

"Talking's borin'!" Stephen complains. He bends down and scoops up a huge handful of snow, packing it down into a sphere. "I wanna have a snowball fight."

"Aren't we a little old-" Max breaks off as Stephen chucks the snowball right in his face with a laugh. He wipes it off, glaring back at him. "Alright, you're on."

"Haha, sweet." Stephen slaps Johnny in the chest. "You and your boyf- Max," he corrects himself, hastily, "are one team and me an' Ollie an' RJ are the other."

"Seriously?" Max protests. "Two against three?"

"Hey, you guys got superpowers." He shrugs a shoulder. "That gives ya an advantage."

"He's gotta point," Johnny tells Max, and he sighs.

“Fine,” he grumbles, relenting.

"Awesome!" Stephen punches the air. "Everyone meet at the park in twenty!" He yells, taking off down the street. RJ and Ollie follow at a much more sedate pace.

Max just looks at Johnny. "There's a park in Mayview?"

"Yeah?" He frowns at him. "Man, you really gotta get out more."

"Hey, I've been busy!" Max says back, defensively. "It's kinda hard to find time to go sightseeing when you're, y'know-" He holds up a hand, conjuring up some of the black smoke that's apprently his 'spectral energy', which Johnny still thinks is a dumb name. "-part of a superpowered ghost-fighting club." He drops his hand. "Lemme go grab my bat really quick, okay? Be right back."

"Okay." Johnny watches him take off into the store.

He returns less than a minute later, bat resting on one shoulder. "Let's go," He puts a hand on the small of Johnny's back and shoves him, lightly. He stumbles forward a bit, feeling his face heat up. "Wow, you're really hot right now," Max remarks, drawing back. He pauses, and Johnny watches him go red. "Uh, I just- I mean, temperature wise, you know-" He breaks off and shakes his head. "Let's just go," Max mumbles, walking away.

Johnny catches up to him easily. "You know where you're goin'?" His tone's teasing, but his mind's occupied trying to figure out what the heck just happened.

"Uh...no," Max admits sheepishly.

"Thought so." He punches his shoulder and gives him a sharp grin. "You'd be lost without me for real, huh?" Max just snorts and shakes his head, but he's smiling a bit, and that definitely makes Johnny's heart do a little flip-flop. He starts walking faster, flustered. Just don't look at Max, he tells himself. Don't think about him, and you'll be fine. He then proceeds to fail to do both of those things.

He's pretty sure Max doesn't notice him sneaking glances on the way to the park, which is good, 'cuz he doesn't wanna come off as creepy. It's just- he can't ever stop thinkin' about him, and sometimes it drives him crazy.

"Hey!" Stephen's voice jerks him out of his thoughts. He's standing under the archway that's the park's entrance, arms crossed. There's a decent stream of people and spirits passing in and out of the park. Which makes sense, he figures. It's a nice day. "What took you guys so long?" Stephen complains, crossing over to them. "I've been waiting forever!"

Max checks the time on his phone. "It's been twelve minutes?"

"To you, maybe," he retorts.

"Where're Ollie an' RJ?" Johnny interrupts, scanning the entrance. "Thought they came with ya?"

"They're gettin' stuff set up."

Johnny eyes him. "We gonna flag it?"

"You betcha." Stephen grins and punches him in the shoulder and then punches Max too for good measure.

"Ow!" Max complains, taking a step back. "Geez. I'm not following this."

"Well, then get your butt in there and we'll explain!" Stephen flaps his hands, aggressively ushering him into the park. Johnny bites back a smile at Max's bemused expression and follows.

Stephen makes a beeline for a cluster of trees in the middle of the park. The park itself is huge, crisscrossed with trails and flowerbeds and playground equipment. There's lots of people milling around, and more than a few little kids making snowmen. There’s spirits in all sizes and shapes and colors, tucked into every corner, running on the ground, floating through the air.

"Wow," Max says next to him. "This place is fancier than I was expecting."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice." Johnny points at the group of trees they're heading towards. "Me an' the boys play paintball an' stuff there when it's summer. Gotta sneak the stuff in though, 'cuz it's against park rules. Hey," he adds, slapping Max on the back, "ya should join sometime."

"I'll consider it." Max deadpans, giving him half a crooked smile.

"Oh my God, hurry up!" Stephen hollers from in front of them. "Ya lovebirds take forever!"

"What the-" Max splutters, going red. "Excuse me?" He yells back, while Johnny starts wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him whole. He shoots Stephen a betrayed look and he gives him a guilty glance in return, mouthing an apology.

"I'm just messing with you." Stephen leans against a tree, kicking at a pile of snow. "You are really slow, though."

Max just glowers back at him but doesn't say anything, face still red. There's the sound of snow crunching and RJ and Ollie emerge from the woods. "Bases are ready to go," Ollie says, pointing behind him.

"Sweet." Stephen straightens up and gestures at Max. "You wanna explain the rules to the newbie here?"

"I'm not-"

"Rules are easy," Ollie interrupts. "It's just capture the flag but you can be as physical as you want. But," he holds up three fingers, "you can't bite or go for anyone's eyes or throw anything besides snow."

"Uh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that from me?" Max looks at Johnny and mouths 'I am going to die' at him and he has to slap a hand over his mouth to stifle his laugh.

"If you get tagged, you gotta join the other team," Ollie continues. "Game's over when one team grabs the other one's flag and brings it back to their base. Yours is that way." He jerks his thumb to the right.

"What're we doin' for flags?" Johnny's getting all pumped up now, 'cuz it's been way too long since he's done something like this. Fighting spirits is fun and all, but it's not playing in the woods with your bros.

"Let's use the bat for one," Stephen says, pointing at it. Max takes a step back, shaking his head violently.

"Uh-uh." He crosses his arms. "No way. I definitely do not trust you guys with it, and besides, my spirit's cranky enough as it is. I don't want it getting even madder 'cuz we used it in a game."

"Oh, c'mon, it's just a bat-"

"Yeah, and there's a big metal snake with a lot of teeth living in it!" Max snaps back. "Leave it alone."

Stephen rolls his eyes. "Fine. But you can't use your powers or anything during the game. Either of ya."

"We're not gonna," Johnny cuts in before Stephen and Max can butt heads any further. "Hey, RJ. Gimme your scarf, will ya?" RJ tosses it over and he catches it, unwinding the one he's wearing from around his own neck. He holds both the scarves up. "Let's just use these." Johnny looks at Max quickly. "That okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," he says slowly. "Long as we get that back. It's my dad's."

"Don't worry." Johnny throws the scarf he'd been wearing at Ollie, hanging on to RJ's. "We will, I promise." Max makes a weird noise and he turns back to him, concerned. "What?"

"Nothing." He glances away.

"Ya get five minutes to get to your base and then the game starts!" Stephen says loudly, then turns on his heel and sprints into the woods, crashing through the undergrowth. Johnny books it in the opposite direction. He hears snow crunching behind him as Max runs to catch up.

"How're we gonna know what the base looks like?" He puffs, keeping pace.

"It's probably t'same ones we use for paintball an' stuff," Johnny says back. "I'll know it when I see it." He changes course slightly, heading for one of the trails that winds through the woods. It's half-covered in snow, but he's practically got this whole place memorized.

They follow it for a bit 'til they emerge into a small clearing. There's a big, flat rock sitting in the middle of it. There's a piece of paper stuck to the rock. Johnny pulls it down and looks at it. There's a little drawing of a bat and a fire next to the words HOME BASE in RJ's handwriting.

"Aw. Cute." Max peers over his shoulder at the paper. He has to get up on his tiptoes a bit, which Johnny thinks is the real cute thing here. "Guess you were right."

"Told ya." He folds up the paper and slips it into his pocket. "It been five minutes yet?"

Max checks his phone. "Almost. Hey," he adds, pointing at the scarf, "did Ollie say anything about hiding the flag?" Johnny just shakes his head, and he grins. "Awesome. I got an idea."

"Go for it." Johnny hands the scarf over. Max leans his bat against the rock and takes it, heading over to the base of a tree. He pauses for a moment, frowning, like he's thinking hard, and then disappears up it faster than Johnny's ever seen anyone climb a tree before. "Geez, you part squirrel or somethin'?" He calls.

"Yeah, actually," Max yells back. "I was abandoned by my squirrel family as a baby and my parents took me in!" He's practically at the top of the tree now, where the branches start thinning out. Johnny watches nervously as he scoots his way along a limb, pressed flat against the bark.

"You're gonna fall!" He takes a step forward, ready in case he needs to catch him.

"I'm not gonna fall," Max scoffs. "I've climbed stuff taller than this in Baxborough." He reaches out and ties the scarf to the branch, dislodging a clump of snow. Johnny dodges it as it plummets to the ground beside him. "Can you see that from down there? Back up a bit." He waves his hand in a shooing motion.

Johnny backs up and squints at the tree. It's still got dead leaves stubbornly clinging to it, and the scarf's pretty well hidden. "Not unless ya we're looking for it."

"Sweet." Max clambers down from the tree and jumps the last few feet, landing in a crouch. "We're totally gonna win this thing." He checks the time again, then looks at him. "That's five minutes. How do you wanna do this?"

"Get in there an' take their flag before they know what hit 'em, how else?" Johnny grins at him, all sharp. The memory of Max telling him he likes his teeth from this morning comes to his mind, unbidden, and he feels himself start blushing despite his best efforts.

Max raises an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't one of us guard the flag?"

"Nah." Johnny shrugs. "Then that'd only leave one person t'get theirs, and it's hidden anyway, so that'll slow 'em down."

"If you say so." He grins back at him. "Let's do this thing. You know where their base is?"

"Absolutely," Johnny says confidently. He doesn't actually know for sure, but he's got a pretty good idea. "Just follow me."

They head off into the woods. Johnny wants to just run right to the other base, but Max says they should at least try to use caution, especially 'cuz they're outnumbered. Johnny has to admit he has a point, so they're currently trying to sneak their way over to the little pond where the flag should be.

"You think they hid it too?" Max asks quietly, sticking close. Johnny considers it for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah. Probably they got Ollie guardin' it an' then Stephen and RJ are probably out lookin' for us. They-" A stick snaps behind them and he whirls around just in time to see RJ charging across the snow at full speed, arms outstretched. Max yelps as throws himself to the ground as they rush him. He turns it into a roll and comes up running, darting off into the woods. Johnny sprints in the other direction. RJ hesitates, looking between their fleeing forms, then takes off after Max.

Johnny skids to a stop and reverses course, chasing down RJ. There's no way he's gonna let Max get tagged and join the other team. He slips on an icy patch and stumbles into a small clearing, watching Max duck another one of RJ's lunges and then skitter up a tree. "Hey, RJ!" Johnny yells, hoping to distract his friend. It works, 'cuz they spin around and start chasing him instead. Johnny waits 'til the distance closes between them and then takes off towards the tree Max is in, hoping he'll pick up on his plan.

He stops in front of the tree and slides in the snow, pinwheeling. RJ advances cautiously, holding their arms out at their sides like they're a gunslinger in an old cowboy movie. Johnny acts like he's gonna try and tag them and they jerk back.

There's a thump as Max drops out of the tree and RJ's eyes go wide. They twist to the side, but not before Max reaches out and slaps them on the back. "Got ya," he says, smugly.

"Welcome to the team, bro." Johnny fistbumps them and their mouth twitches into a smile.

"I pledge my allegiance," RJ says, very solemnly.

"Wow." Max blinks. "Never had anybody pledge their allegiance to me before. Very melodramatic. I like it."

Johnny shoves him playfully. "You better get used 'ta it if you're gonna hang with us." He turns back to RJ. "Hey, the other base is at that pond, right?" They nod and he punches the air triumphantly. "I knew it. Ollie guardin' the flag?" Another nod. "Okay." He glances at Max. "I got an idea."

"I'm all ears." He shoots him a lopsided grin that makes Johnny's heart go all funny. He swallows, looking away quickly. RJ gives him a nudge and a wink, and he scowls back at them.

"Uh, well-" He stutters out, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "That means it's just Stephen out lookin' for us now, so we're gonna split up, try an' avoid him or else make him join our team, and meet at the other base. Then we can all rush Ollie at t'same time. Got it?"

RJ nods excitedly. Max just looks vaguely alarmed. "I don't know where this base is?"

"I'm not gonna abandon you, duh." He touches Max's elbow, lightly, just in case he doesn't like it and wants to pull back. "Yer stickin' with me." RJ gives him a big, knowing grin. Johnny just glares back. "Cut that out!"

RJ just snickers and pulls their hood back up over their head, running out of the clearing. "That's our cue," Johnny says, hustling Max out after them. They take a different route than RJ, just in case they run into Stephen. "T'pond's not too far from here." He eyes Max briefly. "Me an' RJ will distract Ollie an' you can go after the flag, okay?"

"Just as long as you keep him off my back," Max says dryly, "'cuz I'm pretty sure he would literally snap my spine if he tagged me."

Johnny snorts at that. "Maybe if ya weren't so skinny," he teases, poking Max in the ribs.

"Okay, for your information," Max holds up a finger, "I have an acrobatic physique, so..." Johnny goes to poke him again he grabs his hand, holding it captive. Johnny feels the back of his neck heat up and he hopes to God he doesn't start smoking. "You're just like, weirdly buff for a twelve-year-old," Max continues, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Uh." Johnny momentarily forgets how to string words together. "I just- I like gettin' physical?"

"Oh, believe me, I've noticed," Max snarks back. He looks down at where he's still holding Johnny's hand and drops it hastily, blushing slightly. "Let's get to that base already," he says loudly, walking faster.

"Shh!" He shushes him. "Just let Ollie know we're comin', why don't ya?"

"Oops."

"It's right up here." He drops his voice to a whisper, pointing at a clump of trees just up ahead. There's another clearing behind them, with a small pond in the middle that's probably frozen by now. He catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye and he tenses, just in case it's Stephen or Ollie. It turns out to be RJ, approaching from the other side. They give him a thumbs up and he gives one back. "You ready for this?" He mutters to Max.

"Totally." He shoots him a grin. Johnny's about to say something else when RJ bounds off into the clearing, crashing through the undergrowth. He just shrugs and follows.

Ollie's standing in front of the pond, arms crossed. Johnny spots the scarf lying on the middle of the ice behind him. " 'bout time you guys showed up," Ollie says, unfolding his arms and crouching down a bit. "I was startin' to get real bored." He darts his eyes over to RJ. "They get you, man?" RJ nods and he sighs a bit. "Three against one, huh?" Ollie cracks his knuckles, looking thoughtful. "That's almost fair."

"You know what, I changed my mind," Max says nervously. "I don't like this plan."

Johnny pushes him forward. "You can do it. I believe in ya." He jerks a thumb at RJ. "Me and them will distract Ollie, 'kay?" He and RJ fan out around their friend, staying just out of arm's reach. Max sighs heavily and starts sneakily circling around him.

"I'm not falling for that," Ollie rumbles. He whips around and makes a grab for Max, who yelps and jumps away. RJ darts forward, just barely missing tagging Ollie. Johnny does the same, watching Max on the sly. He backs up a few paces and then goes into a running slide just as Ollie jumps away from RJ to reach out for him. Max breezes under his arm and skids across the frozen pond, snatching up the scarf.

"I got it!" Max yells, waving it in the air. "I- Jesus Christ!" He scrambles back as Ollie steps out on the pond.

"Hey, be careful!" Johnny yells. "I don't want the ice breakin' on ya!"

There's a loud crack from the frozen pond as if to punctuate his point. Ollie quickly steps back. Max bodily hurls himself into the snow. They all eye the ice warily, but it doesn't give any further signs of breaking apart. Johnny lets out a tiny sigh of relief and leans over to RJ.

"Hey," he whispers in their ear, "distract Ollie while me an' Max get the flag back to our base, would ya?" RJ nods and gives him a thumbs up, then flings themself at Ollie. Johnny runs around both of them, grabs Max by the arm, and yanks him back out into the woods. "Let's go!" He yells, grinning wildly. They're gonna win this thing.

He lets go of Max and they sprint across the snow, laughing. They're almost back at their base when Johnny hears footsteps crunching behind him. Something tells him to duck, and he does, but he's too slow. A hand slams down on his shoulder and he turns around to see Stephen smirking back at him.

"Gotcha!" Stephen crows. He points at Max, hovering cautiously a few feet away. "Oh man, you're really in trouble now!"

Max's eyes get huge. He shoots a quick glance at Johnny, and he just shrugs.

"Sorry." He lunges forward, and Max dodges with another yelp, turning around and hightailing it into the trees. Johnny doesn't think he's ever seen him run that fast before.

Stephen whistles admiringly. "Damn, he's speedy." He punches Johnny in the shoulder. "Let's go catch your boyfriend!"

"Shut up!" He shoves him back and takes off after Max, ears burning. Stephen just cackles loudly from behind him. Max ducks around a tree and he follows suit, pulling up short when the other side's empty. He glances around, frowning. Where the heck did he go?

Then something slams into him from behind and he falls face first into the snow with a winded oof. A hand lands in the middle of his back. Johnny rolls over to see Max looming above him on all fours, crooked grin on his face. "You're mine again," he says, then freezes, going bright red. "Uh, I mean- on my team. Again," Max fumbles. "I didn't- um. That sounded weird?"

Johnny tries to say something back but finds he's frozen as well. Max is way too close, and now he's thinking about the kiss from earlier again, and he feels his face start burning. Max is just staring down at him, and he looks so cute right now Johnny thinks he's legitimately going to die. He might actually for real if he doesn't get off him. The weird tension from this morning's back, and the air feels heavy. It's like they're both under a spell or something, Johnny thinks.

He shifts a bit, awkwardly - it's honestly really more of a squirm - and something breaks. Max jerks back and scrambles to his feet so fast Johnny might as well been on fire. "Uh, sorry," he mumbles, brushing snow off his pants, not quite looking at him.

"It's-" His voice cracks and he clears his throat. "Um. It's cool." Johnny sits up, slowly. The back of his shirt's wet from where all the snow'd melted. "Did ya just tackle me?" He asks, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Oh. Yeah." Max rubs the back of his neck and gives him a small smile. "Figured since I'm hanging out with you guys I might as well try out some of your tricks."

" 'm proud." Johnny says, getting to his feet. Max just rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling. "I still gotta teach ya how t'fight sometime, y'know." A flash of movement catches his attention and he spots Stephen half-hidden behind a tree. He's doubled over, hands over his mouth and face red in an attempt to stifle his laughter. Johnny gives him a death glare, feeling his own face heat up. Great. He'd definitely seen that whole...thing...that had just happened.

Stephen shakes his head and straightens up, fanning himself with one hand. He holds the other one up and starts counting down from five on his fingers. Johnny spins around and grabs Max. "Time to go!" He shoves him into the clearing where their base is, pointing at the rock. "Get the flag up there before Stephen gets ya!"

Max shoots a glance over his shoulder and turns back almost immediately, sprinting towards the rock. Stephen crashes into the clearing behind him. He gives Johnny a very smug and knowing look as he races past, and he glowers back. His friends are never gonna let him live that down.

He watches Max reach the rock just a few seconds ahead of Stephen and scale it like he really is a squirrel, tossing the scarf down and throwing his arms up in the air triumphantly. "Yeah!" He yells, and Johnny whoops in response. Max jumps off the rock, landing in a low crouch.

"Aw, man!" Stephen says loudly. He slaps Max on the back and he pitches over into the snow. "Hey, good game, man."

"Thanks," Max says dryly, picking himself back up and shaking snow off his pants. He makes his way over to where Johnny's still standing at the edge of the clearing, fist-bumping him. "Hey, we make a pretty good team, huh? First hitball and now this." He gives him a huge grin and Johnny feels his heart skip a good couple beats.

"Yeah, you're a real power couple," Stephen interjects, smirking.

"Excuse me?" Max blinks at him.

Johnny makes a wild grab for his friend and drags him a few feet away. "Dude, cut that out!" He hisses, glancing backwards at Max. He just standing there, looking confused, and he can't tell if his face is all red because of all the running or because he's caught onto what Stephen meant. Johnny desperately hopes it's the former. He crosses his arms and gives Stephen a stern look. "Ya went easy on us, didn't ya."

"Busted." He gives him a guilty smile. "I just thought 'cuz it was your boyfriend's first time playin' and all, y'know?" He pushes him playfully. "Are ya really gonna complain, though? It gave you two some quality time!"

"It did not-" Johnny starts loudly, flushing.

"Dude, you were like, this close to a kiss." Stephen holds up his hand, thumb and forefinger hovering against each other. "I was rootin' for ya."

"That's- you-" He fumbles for words. "That's not what was goin' on!"

"It sure looked like it!" Stephen laughs and dances out of reach when Johnny goes to shove him. He sticks his tongue out and darts off to climb up the rock, leaving Johnny fuming.

"Woah, what'd he say to you?" Max's voice sounds in his ear and he starts, biting back a yelp. "You're smoking."

"He- nothing." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Better?" He half opens one eye and peers at Max.

"Yeah." He tips his head to the side, looking at him. "I think you've been on fire enough for one day."

"Um." Johnny can't think of anything to say to that. He's mercifully saved from having to form a coherent answer by RJ and Ollie entering the clearing, RJ on Ollie's shoulders.

"You guys win, then?" Ollie asks.

"Yeah, they did!" Stephen hollers from atop the rock. He grabs the scarf lying there and jumps down. "Man, you really hid that sucker," he adds, craning his neck back and looking up at the other scarf tied to the tree.

"I'll go get it-" Max starts.

"Nah, I'll do it. I haven't gone tree climbin' in forever." He chucks the scarf he's holding at Max and then launches himself up the tree. He's not as fast as Max is, Johnny notes. "Hey!" Stephen calls down from the upper branches. "Let's go to the lake after this! I wanna see if it's frozen over yet."

"Oh, I'll come." Max perks up. "I haven't been down there yet." He narrows his eyes at Johnny when he turns to look at him. "Don't even start."

"I wasn't gonna say anythin'!" He protests, holding his hands up.

There's a thump as Stephen clambers down from the tree and drops to the ground. "Then let's go!" He exclaims, handing RJ's scarf back over to them. He points back at the rock. "Don't forget your bat." He makes like he's going to grab it and Max leaps forward, snatching it up before Stephen can get there. "Geez, alright." Stephen frowns at him. "Possessive much?"

"I am not-"

"Let's just go already!" Johnny says loudly. He tromps off through the snow, everyone scrambling to follow. "Hey," he says when Max falls into step next to him, "y'know Stephen likes ya, right? 'Cuz you two are always arguin'."

"He's sure got a weird way of showing it," Max mutters. He flushes slightly when Johnny shoots him a hurt look. "I mean, I like him too, I...guess? I don't dislike him or any of your friends, y'know?"

Johnny snorts a bit at that. "Guess that's good enough." Max has own friends, so he can't really expect him to be close to the rest of the Jang, even if it does kinda sting a little.

They walk in silence for a bit. Behind them, RJ and Stephen are engrossed in a deep conversation about the Archaeopteryx concert that's coming up in the spring, with Ollie occasionally chiming in. Johnny's acutely aware of how close Max is, his heart doing a stupid little stutter every time their hands accidentally brush. He edges away, shoving his own hands deep into his pockets, staring resolutely ahead.

They exit the woods and head towards the park's exit. There's a little spirit sitting under it, glaring at them. It kinda looks like a cat, with wings and a long pointed nose. "Uh-oh," Max says suddenly.

Johnny casts a glance at him. "Y'know this guy?"

"Yeah-"

"Halt!" The spirit screeches, interrupting him. It jumps to its feet, spreading its wings. "None shall- oh." It narrows its eyes at Max. "You again?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Max points his bat at it. "What, did you switch from bridges to park gates?"

The spirit shrugs its furry little shoulders. "I just wanted a change of scenery."

"Mhm." Max sounds dubious. "Let me guess, we gotta answer all your riddles right or you'll eat us?"

"Correct." The spirit gives them a big grin, exposing needle-sharp teeth.

"Hey, who're you guys talking to?" Stephen yells from behind them.

"Lil' cat spirit." Johnny points it, sheepishly lowering his hand when he remembers his friends can't see it.

"I am a Sphinx!" The spirit squawks, outraged.

He ignores it. "Hey, RJ. You're good at riddles, get over here." RJ glances down at Ollie, who shrugs. They give a brief shrugs as well, jumping down and crossing over to stand by Johnny.

"No fair!" The Sphinx yells. "My riddles are not for mere mortals!"

"Geez, you ever heard of volume control?" Max complains, wincing. "Either RJ plays or we'll just go out the other way."

"Fine." It sulks for a bit before brightening up. "Now! I have a little house in which I live all alone. It has no doors or windows, and if I want to go out I must break through the wall. What am I?"

He repeats the question to RJ 'cuz they can't hear the spirit either. They consider it for a minute or two before suddenly holding up a finger and digging out their phone, typing out a message and showing it to Johnny.

"RJ says it's a baby chicken in an egg," he tells the Sphinx.

"Wrong!" It shrieks. "It's a chick! You have to use the right words!"

"Now you're just splitting hairs." Max glares at it. "It's the right answer!" He waves the bat a bit, threateningly. "You really wanna mess with us?  Remember what happened last time?"

"Your friend with the weather powers isn't with you today," the spirit purrs. "And I fear not your tool, little spectral."

Max lets out a loud, exasperated sigh. Johnny bites his lip and steps forward, letting a trail of fire creep up his arm. Don't look at it, he tells himself. You'll be fine if you don't look at it. A queasy feeling settles in his stomach, but he ignores it. "Back off," he growls, pointing at the Sphinx. "Either play fair or scram." The fire snuffs out and he takes a deep breath, tucking his hands under his armpits.

It hisses and flattens its ears, taking a step back. Its tail is all poofed up like a regular cat's, and it's actually kinda funny. "Fine," the Sphinx grumbles. "You're no fun." It licks a paw and rubs it over its face hastily before continuing. "What is always coming, but never arrives?"

"It's tomorrow," Max says at the same time RJ holds up their phone with the same answer after Johnny repeats the riddle.

"Hmph!" The Sphinx flicks its tail. "You won't get this last one. You can swallow me, but I can consume you too." It bares its teeth at them. "What am I?"

There's a long silence while RJ types, erases, and retypes a message, shaking their head periodically. The Sphinx inches forward and Johnny shoots it a glare. It immediately steps back. Finally RJ nudges him in the side, showing him the screen.

"It's pride," he says. "That's t'answer."

The Sphinx yowls loudly, tail lashing. "You got lucky!" It screeches, scampering away across the snow. Johnny watches it go.

"Is it gone?" Stephen yells from behind them.

"Yeah," Johnny calls back.

"Man, that was super weird." He walks up, snow crunching underfoot. "Still wish I could see spirits an' stuff," he mutters, crossing his arms. He slaps Johnny on the chest. "Okay, let's go!" Stephen takes off running.

"Thanks for t'assist," he tells RJ quickly before they can run after him. "Me an' Max would probably be cat food without ya." They give him a big grin and a thumbs up before darting off. Ollie ambles after them, eyebrow raised.

"That was really weird, bro," he says. "You okay, though?" Ollie frowns, gesturing at him. "With the...y'know."

"Yeah." Johnny gives him a smile that's a lot shakier than he'd like it to be. Ollie just nods, looking unconvinced, but he doesn't say anything. Someone nudges him from behind and he turns to see Max looking at him, brow furrowed.

"You sure you're okay?" He shoulders the bat. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, well." He shrugs. He's still got his arms wrapped around himself 'cuz he doesn't want anyone to see his hands are shaking again. "That hairball was startin' to annoy me."

Max snorts. "You don't know the half of it," he says dryly. "You remember when you first saw Isaac use his powers? He was fighting the Sphinx."

"Y'mean when ya knocked me down a hill and made me hit my head on a rock?"

"Uh." Max looks sheepish. "Okay, that was an accident. But," he continues, holding up a finger, "in my defense, you stole my bat." He shoots Johnny a small grin. "I still can't believe that didn't give you brain damage, by the way. It's like your skull's indestructible." 

"All of me's indestructible," he brags, and Max snorts again, shoving him lightly.

"Whatever you say. C'mon, let's go before Stephen starts yelling at us again."

The rest of the walk to the lake is pretty uneventful. They pass a couple more spirits and Johnny keeps a firm eye on them just in case, even though Max tells him to stop scaring them like that. Johnny protests that he's just being careful.

 "Woah, check it out!" Stephen hollers when the lake comes into view. It sprawls out before them, glittering in the sun. Water's still visible in the middle of the lake, but the parts closest to shore are iced over, dusted with snow. Johnny spots a couple of spirits playing on the ice, which is actually kinda cute.

"Wow," Max says next to him. He shields his eyes, squinting a bit. "That's pretty. Can we go down there?"

"What'dya think we're here for?" Johnny grabs him by the hand and drags him over to the stairs that lead down to the docks. The rest of his boys are already down there, testing the ice. "How is it?" He calls, leading Max down the stairs.

Stephen leans out cautiously and stomps on the ice a couple times with one foot, holding onto the dock for support. "Seems pretty good." He edges all the way out and jumps up and down. The ice holds and he gives them all a thumbs up. "Yeah! Nice an' thick." He slaps Ollie on the arm. "It'll hold ya, bro."

"Awesome." Johnny breaks out into a sharp grin. He glances over at Max and it drops. "Ya okay?"

"Yeah." He's got his free hand pressed against his forehead, eyes screwed up. "My head just kinda hurts." He shakes his head and blinks a bit. "It's fine."

Johnny realizes he's still holding onto Max's other hand and drops it hastily, taking a step back. "Ya sure?"

"Mhm." Max gives him a small smile. "It's fine. It's probably nothing."

"Well..okay. Ya wanna go out on the ice?"

Max eyes the frozen lake dubiously. "I have concerns about how smart of an idea that is."

"Aw, it's fine." He waves a hand dismissively, pointing at where Ollie's out standing on the lake. "It's holdin' Ollie just fine and he's like, what, basically three of you?"

"Yeah, get your but over here!" Stephen yells at Max. "Don't be a baby!"

"Oh my God. Fine." Max rolls his eyes. "You guys really are a bad influence," he grumbles, following Johnny down the dock.

"Yeah, but ya like me that way, remember?" He shoots back, teasing. Max blinks and ducks his head a bit, going pink, and Johnny feels his own face heat up. He looks away quickly, jumping off the dock and landing with a solid thump on the ice. He nearly squashes a tiny spirit running by underfoot, and it glares at him before darting off. Oops.

Max hesitates at the edge of the dock, looking down at him. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah!" Johnny calls back up. "Want me to to catch ya if ya jump?"

"I think I'm good," Max says quickly. He lowers himself from the dock cautiously, testing the ice before stepping forward. "If this breaks and I drown I'm haunting you as a ghost, by the way."

He has to bite back a laugh at that. "It's not gonna. Ya trust me?"

"I trust _you_ ," Max says. "The ice I'm not so sure about-" He breaks off with a grimace, hand going back to his head.

"You sure you're okay?" Johnny asks, alarmed.

"Feels like my head's gonna explode," Max grits out. He's doubled over by now. "I..."

Johnny watches as his eyes go black and he topples over backwards in a dead faint. He lunges forward, catching Max just before he hits the ice.

"Woah!" Stephen blurts out from behind him, racing over, Ollie and RJ close behind. "What just happened?"

"I dunno!" He's struggling to keep his balance and Max upright at the same time. "He just passed out!"

"Woah, what's up with his eyes?" Stephen leans in and Johnny glances down. There's thin black tendrils of smoke or spectral energy or whatever trickling out from the corners of Max's eyes, which is seriously freaky.

Oh, Johnny thinks. "It's probably the shadow spirit."

"The what?" Stephen furrows his brows.

"He's got, like-" He shifts his grip a bit. "A big shadowy tentacle monster thingy livin' in his head. Kinda like my spirit." He nods towards the dock. "Someone get up there and I'll pass him up to ya, okay?" He's definitely not gonna be able to climb up while holding Max.

"I got him," Ollie says when he's on the dock, leaning forward and picking Max up easily. Johnny hauls himself up next to his friends. Ollie's in full-on Mom Mode and RJ's eyes are huge and even Stephen looks worried. "Want me to carry him back?" Ollie offers. "He weighs like, nothing, so it's not a problem."

"Nah, I can take him," Johnny says back. He turns around and reaches out behind him. "I'll just carry him piggyback."

Ollie just shrugs and passes Max over. He's still out cold and- wow, he really is a lot lighter than Johnny was expecting. "Shouldn't we call a doctor or something?"

"Um." He considers it. "I don't think it'd help? Since it's like...y'know. Ghost stuff." He readjusts his position so it doesn't feel like Max is gonna fall off. His breath's hot on the back of his neck and it's making Johnny's ears burn. "Let's just bring him home."

"Well...okay," Ollie says, a bit doubtfully. Johnny just forges ahead, his friends close behind. They get a couple of weird looks from people out on the streets, but nobody stops them.

Max wakes up when they're about halfway back to the corner store. Johnny feels him move a bit and he stops in the middle of the sidewalk, relieved. He glances over his shoulder awkwardly. Max still has his eyes shut, but the smoke's gone.

"Hey, you're awake!" Stephen grabs him by the face. "How're ya feelin'?"

"At the moment, somewhat violated," Max quips weakly, pulling away. "What's going on?"

"You passed out on the lake and then your eyes got all weird." Stephen steps back. "It was freaky, man."

Max makes a noise. "Great," he mumbles, and Johnny knows he's thinking about the shadow spirit. He remembers how terrified Max had been of it that night last week, and his stomach gets tight. Max shifts again and then jerks violently, pressing his face against Johnny's shoulder.

"You okay?" Johnny asks, alarmed.

"Light hurts," Max says, voice muffled.

"Can ya see anything?"

He feels Max shake his head, still pressed up against him. He stays like that for a while. "You can let me down now," Max says after about a minute, trying to dislodge himself.

"Nuh-uh," Johnny says, even though his shoulders and back are really starting to hurt. "You can't see, remember?"

"I can too," Max shoots back. "It just...hurts too much to open my eyes right now," he adds quietly.

"Same thing." He starts walking again. Ollie glowers at a couple of teenagers blocking the sidewalk up ahead and they scatter, giving them curious looks.

"This is so embarrassing," Max mutters, sticking his face in the crook of Johnny's neck. He feels his temperature skyrocket and he swallows hard. His friends all give him very knowing looks and he glares back. "At least you're warm."

"Uh." His mind blanks completely. He just walks faster, ignoring Stephen's snicker. It's snowing again by the time they get back to the corner store, and the sky's just starting to darken. "We're back at yer place," he tells Max.

"Mmph." He sounds kinda sleepy. He doesn’t move for a bit, then starts squirming. "Okay, seriously, let me down now. My dad will never stop teasing me if he sees this."

"How's your eyes?" He lets go of Max and he slides down, wobbling a bit. Johnny grabs him and pulls him upright.

"Um." Max blinks a bit and flinches, closing his eyes again with a grimace. "Still bad."

"Here." Johnny takes his hand. "Just follow me, okay?" He turns to his friends. "Y'guys up for makin' a distraction so we can sneak in?"

"You got it!" Stephen flashes him a feral grin and bounds inside the store, closely followed by RJ and Ollie.

"Do I even wanna know what they're doing?" Max asks, dryly. His hand is cold, and it takes Johnny a bit to stop thinking about that and focus on the question.

"Uh." He peers inside. Stephen's leaning on the counter, talking to Max's dad and waving his hands wildly. Johnny recognizes it as him being in Conspiracy Theory Mode. Max's dad seems pretty into it. He glances over at the other end of the store where Ollie and RJ are apparently teaching Zoey how to put someone in a headlock. "Probably not." He catches Stephen's eye and mouths 'get him away from the counter', pointing at Max's dad. Stephen nods and gives him a thumbs up. He turns back to the man, gesturing at something in the far corner of the store, and they both head over there.

"Okay, let's go." The doors swish open and he leads Max inside and over to the stairs, carefully making sure the path's clear of any tripping hazards. Nobody seems to notice them, and they hustle upstairs. "Watch out for t'last step," he tells Max.

"It's my house, I think I- woah!" He stumbles over the last step and pitches forward. Johnny catches him, and they end up pressed together awkwardly. His heart's pounding so hard that he's sure Max has got to be able to feel it, and he swallows, face burning. "Uh, thanks," Max mumbles, pulling away with a tiny nervous laugh. "Guess I don't know it so well after all, huh?"

"Uh, well-" Johnny starts, stuttering. "I mean, y'can't see right now so..." He trails off, feeling stupid. Way to state the obvious. "D'ya wanna go to your room or what?"

"Yeah," Max says. "I want to take a nap. My head still really hurts."

"Oh. Okay." He leads him down the hall and into the room, pressing him down onto the bed and stepping back, hovering awkwardly. "Um. Guess I'll go? Don't wanna bother ya." He makes as if to leave and Max makes a blind grab, snagging the bottom of his shirt.

"Woah, hold on a sec." Max frowns at him. "You can't run away before I say thanks."

"It's not-" He ducks his head, grateful Max can't see how red he is right now. "It's not a big deal. I'd do t'same for any one of my friends, y'know?"

"Yeah." Max gives him a small smile. "I do. But still. Thanks."

Johnny just stares at him for a moment. Max looks so small right now and he wants to hold him and he wants to kiss him and he wants to find the shadow spirit and beat it up for hurting Max and- he shakes his head, biting the inside of his cheek. "Yeah," he says, voice strangled. "No problem."

Max lets go and he practically flees the room, running down the stairs. He makes a beeline for Stephen, absorbed in a deep conversation about Bigfoot with Max's dad. "Let's go," he pants, interrupting them.

"Oh. Okay?" He blinks at him and turns back to Max's dad, leveling a finger at him. "I like the way you think. I'll be back, trust me."

"You're welcome anytime!" He waves enthusiastically, and Stephen waves back. They head over to the corner of the store where Zoey's got RJ in a headlock while Ollie nods approvingly.

"And if someone does that to you you wanna go for their stomach and knees," he says, pointing out the aforementioned spots on RJ. He glances up at Johnny and Stephen. "We leavin'?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, watching RJ wiggle out of Zoey's grip and give her a thumbs up.

"Aw." Zoey sounds disappointed. "I was having fun!"

"We'll come back sometime, okay?" Johnny says quickly, and she gives him a big gap-toothed grin.

"I know you will," Zoey says back, " 'cuz of Max."

Johnny feels his ears get all hot. He doesn't respond, just herds his boys outside. "Where is Max, anyway?" Stephen asks when the doors slide shut.

"Sleepin'."

"Aww." Stephen smirks at him. "Ya kiss him goodnight?"

Johnny just shoves him into a snowbank and storms off down the sidewalk.


	31. catching fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who moved into their first apartment today (it's me)
> 
> guess who doesn't have any furniture yet bc the movers don't get here 'til saturday (it's also me)

 Max is pretty sure he’s dreaming, but it doesn't make the situation any less strange.

He's out in the woods, on his hands and knees, the cold of the snow biting through the fabric of his jeans. Johnny's staring back up at him, eyes huge and face bright red. It's cute, Max thinks. _He's_ cute.

"You know that kiss from earlier," he hears himself saying. "You want to try it again?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, and then they're _kissing_ , and it's awkward and almost uncomfortably warm but it's still nice and-

Max wakes up with a gasp, staring at the ceiling. He lies perfectly still, refusing to believe that that actually happened. What the heck was that? He just- did he just- he seriously just had that particular dream. Max swallows, pressing his hands to his face. He's pretty sure he's more embarrassed right now than he's ever been in his entire life.

He's all sweaty, like he'd actually been- God, he can't even think it- kissing Johnny, the human furnace, and his heart's going so fast it hurts and he suddenly can't stand it. He rips the covers aside and jumps out of bed, standing in the middle of his room feeling stupid and confused. "What is _wrong_ with me?" Max mutters to himself, resisting the temptation to just bang his head against the wall.

It's gotta because of how much stress he's under right now, Max decides. He's heard that people can hallucinate from that, so this has to be the same thing. His brain's just freaking out and making him have weird dreams. They don't actually mean anything.

He takes a huge gulp of air, trying to calm down. "It doesn't mean anything," he says. "It's just a stupid dream." His face is still all hot and his stomach feels weird, but his heart rate's finally slowing, which Max supposes is good enough. He shakes his head and lets out an unsteady breath. He's hungry all of a sudden.

Isabel's in his kitchen when Max wanders in, making herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Max blinks at her, bemused. "Good morning?"

"More like good afternoon." She licks some peanut butter off the knife and glances at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's past twelve."

"Oh." He looks at the clock and then at her, trying to clear his thoughts. Don't think about the dream, he tells himself. Absolutely do not think about it. "Well, gee," he snarks, resorting to sarcasm, "if I'd known you were coming over I'd have put on pants."

Isabel pauses mid-bite to laugh, covering her mouth. "I don't care," she tells him, voice muffled. “I live with Ed.” She points at her half-eaten sandwich. "You want one?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Max pulls out a chair from the table and sits down, eyeing her. "Is there a reason you're in my house playing chef, or...?"

"Your dad said to help myself." She shrugs and pulls out two more pieces of bread from the bag on the counter, buttering them. "Me and Isaac and Ed all came over 'cuz we were worried about you but they weren't hungry, so they're still downstairs." Isabel slaps the bread together and deposits the sandwich directly on the table in front of Max. "How's your head?" She asks, rapping on his forehead with her knuckles.

"It'd be better if you didn't do that." Max pulls back and gives her a small frown. It still kinda hurts, and the lights in the kitchen are making his eyes smart a bit.

"Sorry." She flops down in the chair next to him. "Johnny told me you like, passed out or whatever 'cuz of the shadow spirit or something yesterday." Isabel gives him a concerned look. "What happened?"

Max finishes half the sandwich before replying. "We were down by the lake, and it, like-" He hesitates, trying to find a way to explain what he felt. "My head started hurting really bad, and then when I went out on the ice I blacked out." He's quiet for a moment. "It almost felt like the spirit was trying to escape? I dunno." He looks at Isabel. "That doesn't really make sense, though."

"Yeah." She frowns, putting her elbows on the table. "If a spirit is able to leave whatever they're possessing they'll just do it." Isabel tips her head to the side, studying him. "It must've been really badly hurt if it's been in you for this long."

"Don't remind me," Max says, plaintively. Thinking about the fact that he's been unknowingly possessed for years always makes him feel kinda nauseous.

"Sorry," Isabel says again, giving him an apologetic smile. She leans forward a bit, peering at his face. "Wow, you're really sweaty right now."

"Uh," Max replies. God, now he's thinking about the dream and the- the kiss again, and he feels himself start blushing. Isabel raises an eyebrow, looking amused. "I just- I didn't sleep very well," he mutters, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the table. "Had a weird dream."

"What kinda dream?"

A dream about kissing one of your best friends, Max thinks, but he doesn't say it. "It's- forget it!" He says, loudly. "It's nothing." He stuffs the rest of the sandwich in his face just so he won't have to talk to Isabel. "I'm gonna go get dressed," Max mumbles when his mouth's free, pushing the chair back and standing up.

"'kay." She shrugs a shoulder, a weird little half smile on her face. "I'm gonna go back downstairs, alright? You better come down and talk to us when you're done," she adds, pointing a threatening finger at him.

"No, I think I'll just stay in my room all day and avoid my friends," Max deadpans, heading out of the kitchen. He changes quickly, dragging the biggest, comfiest sweater he can find out of his closet and putting it on. He's still kinda sweaty and freaked out, but the sweater's heavy and the weight helps.

The rest of the Activity Club are clustered around the store counter when he comes downstairs, listening to his dad tell a story. From the sounds of it it's the one about the fish and the tractor that Max has heard about a million times by now. He stops behind his dad, waiting for him to finish.

"Oh, look who's up," he says a few minutes later, finally noticing Max. "Somebody sure was tired today, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Max mumbles, not quite looking at his dad. He is pretty exhausted, but it's more due to being possessed by a freaking shadow spirit than anything else, and it's not exactly like he can tell his family that.

His dad nods sagely. "Better get used to it, bud. You're gonna be a teenager pretty soon-"

"Dad," Max interrupts loudly, ears going hot. "Do not do that talk right now." Isabel smothers back a giggle and he glares at her, briefly contemplating just sinking down under the counter and hiding.

"Whoops. My bad." His dad shoots him a grin and ushers him out from behind the counter and into the store. "Go talk to your friends. They've been waiting for you." Max just sighs and complies.

Isabel grabs him by the shoulders and guides him over to a corner of the store, Isaac and Ed following. They stop behind an aisle, out of sight of the register. "Told ya he's fine," Isabel says, releasing him.

"Are you sure?" Ed leans in uncomfortably close. "Maybe the spirit's still posessin' him and just wants us to think that." He narrows his eyes behind his glasses. "Tell us somethin’ only the real Max would know."

"Isaac loves Sailor Moon and his favorite character is Sailor Neptune," he says quickly, pointing at him.

"Hey!" Isaac protests, going red. "I just- i just think she's cool," he mumbles under his breath.

"I'm not saying it's bad!"

"Boys." Isabel puts a hand on both their shoulders, face serious. "No fighting." She breaks out into a big smile. "But seriously," she tells Isaac, "Jupiter is better."

"No way-"

"Okay, so we've established I'm the real me," Max breaks in before they can continue that particular discussion. "Now what?"

Isabel takes a step back, frowning a bit. "I don't know," she admits. "I don't...really know how to deal with, y'know, this." She gestures vaguely at Max.

"Have you heard anything from Suzy yet?" Max asks, aiming for casual but probably coming off as overeager.

"Nah." She shakes her head. "She's been texting me like, non-stop though. Asking me questions and stuff like that. But she hasn't found anything." Isabel lets out an irritated huff, crossing her arms. "And I've been trying to squeeze information from Spender and my grandpa but it's been impossible."

"Oh." Max hopes he doesn't sound as disappointed as he feels. There's a long, awkward silence, and then Isabel grabs Ed and Isaac by the arms and yanks them further down the aisle.

"Stay right there!" She calls over her shoulder to Max. "I gotta talk to these guys real quick!"

Max just blinks after them, confused. He watches as they huddle together, heads lowered. Isabel keeps pointing back at him for some reason, and Isaac and Ed glance over. Isabel straightens up and slaps them both on the back, returning to Max. "Let's go," she says, linking her arm through his.

"Uh...where?" He points at Ed and Isaac, who are currently exiting the store. "Where are they going?"

"They're gonna go see that new superhero movie that just came out and we," she slaps him on the chest, "are going down to the mini-mall, 'cuz you really need a distraction."

"I don't-" He pauses mid-sentence, considering. He could probably do with one, actually. "Okay," Max says. "Are we walking?"

"Yep."

"Ugh. Fine." He sighs and untangles himself from Isabel, heading towards the stairs. "Let me go get my boots." Max pauses at the counter, watching his dad, who's deeply absorbed in cutting out some paper snowflakes. "Me and Iz are gonna go down to the mall for a bit," he tells him, and his dad looks up.

"Have fun!" He says cheerfully, waving the scissors, and Max ducks. "Whoops. Make sure you take your coat, okay?"

"I will." He darts up the stairs, grabs his winter stuff, and is about to head back down when a sudden thought comes to him. He can probably do some semi-last-minute Christmas shopping at the mall. It's not really like he's got a lot of money, and he's got a ton of people to get stuff for this year, but- he'll make it work. He makes a detour to his room and retrieves his stash of saved cash.

Isabel's waiting for him outside, busy throwing snowballs at a group of spirits who're hurling them right back at her. Max dodges one going at Mach 20, glaring at the spirit who chucked it. They look unfazed. "Finally," Isabel complains, nailing another spirit right in one of its three faces. "You take forever." She pushes him down the sidewalk, waving goodbye to the spirits. "Let's go."

"Sorry," Max replies dryly, letting himself be propelled along the cement. "I was just grabbing some money 'cuz I thought I'd do some holiday shopping while we're there."

"Oh, good idea." She falls into place next to him. "I already did mine. My parents are in town 'cuz Hannukah's coming up pretty soon and they gave me some cash as an early gift."

"Woah, you have parents?" Max blurts, the words falling out of his mouth before he can stop them.

"No, Max, I just sprang into this world fully formed," Isabel deadpans, raising an eyebrow. "Of course I do."

"Well, you- you've never mentioned them!" He blusters, face heating up in embarrassment. "Why do you live with-" He stops himself just in time, 'cuz that's definitely not a question Isabel wants to hear.

"Why do I live with my grandpa?" She finishes it for him, and he nods, shame-faced. Isabel sighs heavily. "They thought it would be better if I went to stay with him permanently after the whole..." She makes an aggressive gesture with her hands. "Dog thing. So he could train me better. I go home for a couple weeks every summer."

"Oh." Max is quiet for a bit. "Do they know about...y'know?" How hard her grandpa is on her, he wants to say, but he doesn't. Isabel purses her lips, face tight.

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Okay." They walk in awkward silence for a while.

"Hey," Isabel exclaims suddenly, nudging him in the ribs. "I almost forgot. We do a big party on the first night, so you're invited to that if you want. It'll be fun."

"Oh. Sure." He gives her an uncertain smile. "I've never actually been to a, uh, Hannukah celebration before."

"Yeah." She grins back at him. "Hope you like fried food, 'cuz my mom goes nuts baking. We always gotta make extra latkes 'cuz Ed eats most of 'em before I can get to 'em," Isabel complains, and Max snorts loudly.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," he says dryly. Isabel just laughs and socks him in the shoulder.

They pull up at the mall about fifteen minutes later. There's a big Christmas tree in the middle of the plaza, right next to the fountain, with a man dressed up in a Santa suit standing by it. Max shoots Isabel a look. "Does it ever get annoying seeing Christmas stuff all the time?"

"Yeah." She rolls her eyes. "You just gotta ignore it." She points over at the coffee shop on the edge of the plaza. There's a steady stream of people entering and exiting, and Max can hear faint Christmas music trickling out every time the door opens. "Hey, I wanna go get some hot chocolate." She darts off towards the shop, weaving through the crowd, Max following close behind. "You want one?" She asks when they're inside, waiting in line. "I'll buy."

"Uh, sure. Thanks."

"You got it." She turns to the cashier and gives her a big smile. "Can we get two hot chocolates with extra whipped cream, please? Thanks," she adds when the drinks get handed to her almost immediately. Max blinks, impressed. "Here," Isabel says, handing him one and chugging down half of hers. "Ow." She grimaces, wiping whipped cream away from her mouth. "It's hot."

"Well, duh." Max gives her an amused look. "You gotta wait for it to cool down."

"I'm an impatient person," Isabel says back, dragging him out of the store.

"I've noticed." He blows a bit on his drink.

"So," Isabel says conversationally, waiting until Max is mid-sip, "you were hanging out with Johnny all day yesterday?"

Max promptly chokes on a mouthful of hot chocolate, 'cuz her mentioning Johnny makes him think about that stupid dream again. "I- who told you-" He splutters out when he's got his breath back, face getting hot. God, why's he so defensive about it? It's not like it's weird to hang out with your friends, he tells himself. "Yeah. Him and his gang."

"Hmm." She looks at him appraisingly, a small smile smile on her face.

"What?" Max demands, feeling unsettled.

"Nothing." Isabel drains the rest of her hot chocolate and chucks the empty cup in a nearby trashcan. Max follows suit, at a much slower pace. "Let's go in uh..." She waves her hand around, picking a store seemingly at random. "There." She's pointing at a clothing store across the way. Max is pretty sure it's the same one he got his school dance dress from.

"Okay." He shrugs and tosses his cup, following her. It's packed in the store, more Christmas music playing tinnily over the speakers.

"I'm just saying," Isabel says loudly, half-shouting to be heard over the general hubbub, "I'm surprised you two aren't together today.”

Absolutely not, Max thinks. He's not even sure he could even look Johnny in the face right now 'cuz of that stupid, stupid dream. "I've got other friends, you know," he calls back, idly flipping through a rack of clothes. "Like you, for one."

"Oh, I know," she says breezily, standing next to him. "That's kinda cute." She points out a dress as Max flips by it and he pauses, going back to it. "And it's black, your favorite color."

Max makes a vague noise in agreement, eyeing it. It is kinda cute. He checks the price tag. Okay, not that cute.

"Oh, wow," Isabel exclaims suddenly, dramatically over-enunciating. She's pointing out the store window for some reason. "Look, there's Johnny."

Max shrieks and knocks over two racks of clothing in his attempt to duck out of view. He ends up crouching behind a mannequin, face red, desperately avoiding eye contact with any of the multiple people looking in their direction.

"Wow." Isabel puts her hands on her hips, surveying the destruction. "That was a way more dramatic reaction than I was expecting."

"It's- I'm-" Max levels a finger at her, other hand wrapped around the mannequin’s legs. "I'm being perfectly reasonable!"

Both of her eyebrows shoot up. "Mass property damage is your idea of reasonable?" She kneels down next to him. "You're hiding behind a mannequin."

"I am not," he mumbles sulkily, not looking at her.

"Mhm." Isabel starts picking up scattered pieces of clothing. "Y'know, aren't you the one who got all upset when he was avoiding you?"

"That's- it's- I mean-" Max stutters, helping her gather stuff up. "That's different."

"Is it?"

"Yes!" Max exclaims, heatedly. He uprights the knocked-over rack and starts putting hangers back onto it. He spots a store employee heading his way and works even faster. He's so embarrassed right now he wants to cry.

"Sorry for the mess ma'am," Isabel says smoothly, popping up next to him. "My friend just tripped. We'll clean it up, don't worry." The employee gives them a dubious look but doesn't say anything, just shakes her head and picks up the other overturned rack. Isabel leans over to Max. "I just made that up, you know," she says. "Seeing Johnny, I mean. I just wanted to see how you’d react."

"What?" Max shoots her a hurt look. "You lied to me?"

"Well-" She scratches her cheek with the end of a hanger. "Yeah, a little." She holds her thumb and forefinger together. "It's just a lil' white lie."

"That was not a white lie." He glares at her. "Why would you even do that?"

Isabel puts the last of the clothes she's holding back onto the rack before replying, sighing loudly. "Max." She puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm telling you this 'cuz I love you. As a friend," she adds, hastily. "Don't make it weird."

" _You're_ making it weird-"

She puts a finger to his lips. "Dude, if you were any deeper in denial, you'd be drowning."

Max pulls back with a frown, brows furrowed. "The heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh my God." Isabel buries her face in her hands with a loud groan. "You are so- urgh!" She clenches her hands into fists, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You know what, forget it." She snatches the dress they'd been looking at earlier off the rack and thrusts it at him. "Here, go try this on."

"Why-"

"You like it, don't you?"

"Well, yeah," he admits, flushing a bit. "But it's not like I can afford it."

"I'll get if for you," she says bluntly, pushing him towards the dressing rooms.

"Isabel-" Max protests, digging his heels in. "I'm not letting you do that!"

"C'mon." She flips the price tag over. "It's not even that spendy, and I've got plenty of leftover cash. It can be your early birthday present, okay?" She shoves him into an empty stall and shuts the door behind him. Max just stands there for a moment, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His brain kinda hurts from trying to process everything that just happened.

What the heck had Isabel been talking about, anyway? Denial about what? He literally can't think of anything he could be in "denial" about. "Forget it," Max mutters to himself. She's just being weird. He shakes his head violently and starts changing.

"Hey, Max?" Isabel calls from the other side of the door a few minutes later.

"Yeah?" He says back distractedly, focused on trying to get the zipper on the back of the dress all the way up. Geez, who designed this thing, anyway?

"That weird dream of yours," she starts, and Max goes pale, "it wouldn't have happened to involve-"

He scrabbles desperately for the doorknob, yanking the door open. "Don't talk to me," he hisses, glaring at her.

"I'm just wondering-"

"Don't-"

"I just-"

"Isabel, seriously!" His voice cracks and he stares at the floor, face burning. There's a long, heavy silence, and he finally forces himself to look up at her. Isabel's got her arms crossed, a guilty expression on her face.

"Sorry," She says awkwardly, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "I, um, get too carried away with the teasing sometimes." She gives him a small smile. "You look really cute, though."

Max ducks his head, flushing again. "Thanks," he mumbles, fidgeting with the hem.

"You want it?"

"Um, kinda?"

"Kinda?" She puts her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot," he says, sheepishly. "But seriously, you don't have to-"

"I'm buying it!" Isabel says loudly, crossing her arms again with a huff and closing her eyes. She cracks one open and peers at him, breaking into a grin. "Geez, let me do stuff for you."

"Alright, alright." Max returns her smile, holding his hands up in surrender as he backs into the dressing room. "Let me get out of it first." He closes the door and then reopens it a couple seconds later. "Actually, I uh, think I need some help unzipping it," he says, kinda lamely.

Isabel rolls her eyes, pulling the tab down a bit. "You got it now?"

"Yeah." Max disappears back into the stall. "Hey," he calls through the door, shimmying his way out of the dress, "is there like a game store or something around here? I wanna pick up some presents."

"There's one on the other side of the mall, I think," Isabel replies, voice muffled. "You wanna go there next?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." She steps back when he exits the dressing room a minute or two later, back in his winter gear. Isabel snatches the dress from his hands and makes a beeline for the counter. The line's about ten people deep.

"Oh, this is adorable!" The cashier coos when they get to the front, holding the dress up. It's the same lady who had to clean up some of their mess, and Max pointedly avoids making eye contact with her. "Is this for you?" She asks Isabel.

"Nah, it's a birthday present for him," Isabel says back, digging some cash out of her coat pocket. The cashier makes a weird face and Max feels like someone's just stabbed him right in the gut. He stares down at the floor, face hot. Isabel frowns, paying quickly and hustling him out the door.

"Don't worry what people think," she tells him, swinging the plastic bag with her purchase in it aggressively. "You can wear whatever the heck you want."

"I don't worry what people think," Max lies. "But thanks."

"Yeah." She shoves him lightly with a grin, handing him the bag. "C'mon. You still wanna go to the game store?"

"Mm." He nods. He can probably pick up stuff for a couple people there.

"Awesome." Isabel heads out, dodging a group of little kids running past while their parents chase after them, yelling excitedly about Santa. "They've got like, this huge T-Rex statue out front that moves and roars and everything." She hooks her hands into claws and peddles them, taking huge, stomping steps. Max hurries to catch up with her, laughing. "It's the coolest. Me and Ed are always in there so he can pick up new video games."

"Sounds pretty cool," Max agrees. For once he's actually not thinking about the shadow spirit. Isabel was right- he really did need a distraction.

"Not cooler than me!" Isabel elbows him in the ribs, giving him a smirk. "Hey, race ya!" She yells, taking off into the crowd.

"Woah, wait up!" Max protests. He darts after her, slipping and sliding on patches of fallen snow as he goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> max employing the dr mina zarei patented method of avoiding your crush


	32. no rest for the wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's just a lil chapter today! i need time to build my buffer back up & hand stuff over to my betas, thanks for your patience <3

 it wants out

it wants back

it hates the light it hurts it

it hates this child hates being trapped hates waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting

it's been waiting for too long.

it didn't end up with a sense of humor, and it certainly didn't end up with any patience. that's her. it's just a part of her and it

WANTS

BACK

NOW

but no.

not yet.

it pulls itself back together with great difficulty. how sad, how pathetic, would it be to fall apart now after all these years? it's so close to being reunited with her. it could take this boy, force him to seek her out-

no. there's too many eyes in this town.

the doorman his master the brute made of metal the cousinhood the consortium the children who are running around getting in the way

ants, the lot of them. when it's back in her embrace they'll squash them all underfoot.

she sleeps, but it knows.

and it waits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the shadow spirit's got something to say


	33. by the hearth

The corner store's closed when Johnny gets to it, which he supposes makes sense. It is pretty late on Christmas day, after all. He just stands outside, in the dark, under the streetlamp, feeling stupid. He should probably just go home, but... the thought of going back to an empty apartment isn't super appealing. Plus, Max had said he could come over if he wanted to, right?

He waffles for a bit before pulling out his phone and sending a text.

**> johnny (7:03):** hey so uh  

**> johnny (7:03):** im standing outside ur place rn?

He stuffs the phone back in his pocket, not sure if he should hope for a response or not. It buzzes almost immediately and he brings it out again, surprised.

       **> max (7:05):** dude i was starting to think u werent gonna show

       **> max (7:05):** hold on i'll be right down

Johnny blinks down at the messages, smiling a bit. He's still rereading them when the lights in the store blink on and he glances up, watching Max make his way to the doors. He's wearing a dress (it’s a different one than the one he had at the dance, ‘cuz this one's all black and has sleeves that go halfway down his arms) and he looks so damn cute that Johnny forgets how to breathe for real.

"Hey," Max says after he's unlocked the doors, sliding them open and grinning at him. "I wasn't sure if you were coming or not. I thought maybe you'd be out with your friends all day."

"Uh," Johnny starts, feeling his face heat up for absolutely no reason. "Well- Ollie's at his mom's this year and Stephen and his family are outta town so I was hangin' with RJ and their folks for a bit but then they had to go and-" The words all fall out in a jumble and he forces himself to stop and take a deep breath 'cuz Max is starting to look vaguely overwhelmed. "Thought I'd at least come by and say hi to ya," he mumbles.

"You can do more than that," Max says, yanking him into the store. He glances down at the poorly-wrapped box Johnny's got tucked under one arm. "Whatcha got there?" He asks casually, closing the doors and locking them again.

"It's, um- it's-" He fumbles, getting even redder. "Um. It's for ya. For- for, y'know, Christmas. And also your birthday." He says that last bit very quickly, aggressively shoving the box at Max. God, why's he getting so worked up about this? It's not like it's weird to get your friends gifts, especially for holidays.

Max blinks and takes the box. "Thanks." He gives him a smile that makes his heart go all melty. "Oh, that reminds me." He pokes Johnny in the ribs, and he jumps. "You're the only one I haven't given their present to yet. It's upstairs," he adds, motioning towards the staircase with his head.

"Oh," Johnny says back, 'cuz he hadn't actually been expecting Max to get something for him. "Um. Th- thanks?" His voice is just a squeak right now and he glances away, ears burning.

"Yeah." Max gives him a weird look. "You wanna come up? We were just actually about to make cookies, so-"

"I like cookies," Johnny breaks in, and Max snorts.

"I figured," he says dryly, nudging him towards the stairs. "C'mon, then."

"Hey, look who's here!" Max's dad exclaims cheerfully when they enter the kitchen. He's standing in the middle of the room, holding a big bowl and stirring the contents with gusto. "How do you feel about chocolate chip cookies?" He asks, gesturing at Johnny with the whisk.

"Uh, good?"

"Great!" He hands the bowl to him and he takes it, automatically. "I gotta run out to the shed and grab some more flour, alright, guys? Be right back!" He darts out of the kitchen.

Max looks over at Zoey, who's sitting at the table pressing cookie cutters into a mound of dough. "What happened to all the flour in the kitchen?"

"Dad dropped it while you were downstairs." She points at the floor. There's streaks of white powder all over the tile, a big pile of it sitting in the corner next to a broom and dustpan.

"Oh." He puts the box down on the table in front of her.

"Is that for me?" She lights up.

"As if." Max puts his hands on his hips and frowns at her. "That's my birthday-slash-Christmas present."

"Birthmas," Johnny says loudly before he can stop himself, and Max laughs.

"I guess." He tips the bowl Johnny's holding towards him, peering inside it. "Hey, he didn't get any eggshells in it this time."

"That's 'cuz I cracked 'em," Zoey announces proudly. She points over at the oven. "Dad forgot to turn that on, so you gotta do it 'cuz I'm not allowed to."

Max lets go of the bowl and wanders over to the oven, switching it on. "We could just use you," he teases when Johnny goes to stand by the counter next to him. "Since you're just a big walking oven."

"Wha- I am not!" Johnny protests loudly, flushing.

"You totally are!" Max pokes him in the ribs again. "You keep me warm, anyway-" He freezes, going slightly pink. He drops his hand and takes a step back, looking away hastily. "Um. I just- uh- here!" He snatches a stirring spoon off the counter and holds it out to Johnny. "Since my dad took the whisk with him."

Johnny blinks and reaches out to take it. Their fingers brush against each other and Max lets go of the spoon before Johnny's got a good grip on it and they both scramble to catch it before it hits the ground.

"Wow," Zoey says from behind them, and Max whips around to glare at her.

"What?"

"Nothing." She just gives them a big, gap-toothed smile, stuffing some dough into her mouth.

"Don't do that." Max frowns at her. "That's how you get salmonella."

"Is not," Zoey replies, eating more dough. Max just sighs and rolls his eyes, turning back to Johnny. He looks like he's about to say something when his dad comes breezing back into the kitchen, holding two bags of flour in the air triumphantly.

"Got it!" He exclaims, slapping them down on the counter in front of Max. "I'm gonna have to place a new shipment order after this, though." He waltzes off to go help Zoey. "Sweetie, don't eat that much dough, okay?" Johnny hears him say. "Save some for the actual cookies."

"Is there like a recipe or somethin' we're supposed t'be followin'?" He asks Max, watching him tear open one of the bags of flour.

"Nah." Max shrugs lightly. "We do this every year, so I pretty much got it memorized by now." He opens a cabinet above their heads, leaning up a bit to grab a measuring cup. "I'll add ingredients, you stir."

They work in comfortable silence for a while, making the occasional joke or remark. Johnny thinks he's starting to get pretty good at this whole baking business. He's so focused on it that it takes him a bit to notice Max staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "What?" He asks finally, suddenly nervous.

"Dude, you have flour all over your face." Max stifles a laugh. "Man, how'd you even do that?"

Johnny swipes at his face, embarrassed. "Did I get it?"

"No, you- no, that's the wrong spot again." He puts down the egg he's holding. "Here, lemme get it," Max says, reaching out. His fingers land on Johnny's cheek, lightly, and Johnny swallows hard. "Got it." He lowers his hand, then frowns, raising it again and turning Johnny's head so he can look at the other side of his face. "Looks like that did scar after all," Max remarks, tracing the healed cut.

Johnny feels like he's genuinely going to pass out. His heart's going so fast it hurts, and he feels all sweaty and hot. "Uh," he finally manages, voice strangled. "Yeah. A lil' bit." It's just a thin white line, barely there. You can't even see it at all unless you're looking super close at it like Max is right now.

Max finally, finally stops touching him and steps back. Johnny resists the urge to close his eyes, 'cuz his head's all woozy right know and his knees are kinda wobbly. "Hm." He frowns at him, turning it into a slight smile. "At least it looks cool."

That definitely kills him. It takes a couple tries to get his voice to work. "Thanks," Johnny finally squeaks out.

Max's dad clears his throat from behind them and they both jump, whirling around. He's holding a tray loaded with unbaked cookies. "You kids done flirting?" He asks, gesturing towards the oven with the tray. "I gotta get to the oven."

Max goes even redder than Johnny does. "You- we're- what-" He splutters, clearly at a loss for words. "We're not!" He practically shouts that last bit.

"I'm just teasing you, bud." Max's dad gives him a big grin and a wink, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Max ducks away with a scowl. "You two go scoot out into the living room, okay? Me and Zoey can take it from here."

"You sure?" Max sounds dubious.

"Absolutely." He makes a shooing gesture. "I'll let you know when they're done baking, alright?"

"Okay." Max ducks around him and grabs his present from the table before doing an about-face and marching into the living room. Johnny follows him out, feeling flustered. The couch and coffee table have been shoved aside, making room for the big Christmas tree that's sitting in the middle of the room. "Ugh," Max mutters, flopping down at the base of the tree. "Sorry about that." He looks up at Johnny, face still red. "My dad can be really embarrassing sometimes."

"Um, it's fine." He sits down next to him. Their knees touch and he quickly scoots over. "I think it's nice ya guys do stuff like this," he adds quietly, absently batting at a low-hanging ornament. He can't remember the last time he actually did something with his own dad.

"Oh," Max says softly. A guilty expression creeps across his face. "Right. Um-"

"It's fine," Johnny says again, interrupting whatever he was about to say. He doesn't want anyone, least of all Max, feeling sorry for him. He ignores the way Max's mouth twists, focusing on the ornament he's playing with instead. It's a little picture frame. A vaguely familiar-looking woman smiles out at him. "That your mom?" He asks, pointing at the frame.

Max leans forward, peering around him. "Yeah."

"She looks like you. Uh, I mean-" He fumbles. It's the other way around, dummy. "You look like her?" She's really pretty, Johnny thinks. "I like her piercings," he finishes, lamely.

Max snorts at that, giving him a little smile. "My dad's always telling me I look like her." The smile fades and he's quiet for a bit. "She always used to make these like, big metal tree sculptures for Christmas." He taps a branch, eyes distant. "The first couple of Christmases after she died were really rough. I mean, it's better now, but-" 

He cuts off, shaking his head and rubbing at his face

"You miss her?" Johnny offers, hesitantly.

"Yeah," Max admits. "A lot." He blinks a couple times, then gives Johnny an unsteady smile. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get all depressing there."

"Well, I mean-" He goes back to fidgeting with the ornaments, not quite looking at him. "You're always sayin' people should talk about stuff that's botherin' 'em, so...you- you should do the same too." He glances up, briefly. Max is just staring at him and he returns his attention to the tree, ears burning.

There's a light touch on his elbow and he jerks a bit, nearly knocking an ornament off the tree. "Thanks," Max says quietly, and the look he's giving him is so soft it makes Johnny's breath catch in his throat.

"Um." He fakes a cough, looking away quickly. "Yeah. Sure."

There's rustling as Max gets to his feet, smoothing down the front of his dress. "Hey, I'm gonna go get your present, okay? Be right back."

"Cool." He watches Max go down the hall to his room. Zoey pokes her head out of the kitchen to give him a huge grin before disappearing again. He glowers after her, face getting all hot.

Max is back a minute later, holding a small, brightly wrapped package. "Here." He ducks his head, holding it out. Johnny takes it carefully, mouth suddenly dry.

"You want me t'open it first, or...?"

"Yeah." Max sits back down, looking nervous. "I wasn't really sure what to get so I just- you can't make fun of it, okay?"

Johnny shoots him a hurt look. "Y'really think I'd do that?"

"Well-" He fidgets with the hem of his dress, staring at the ground. "No. I know you wouldn't. I just...worry? It's stupid."

"It's not stupid," he says back, tearing the paper off the package. He blinks at the uncovered box. It's a build kit, one he's never seen before. "Awesome." He shoots Max a big, sharp grin.

"I just remembered you like building things, right?" Max says, quickly. "And that was the one I found that looked the most, I dunno...interesting? Plus, check it out." He taps the note on the front of the box that reads AGES 12+, giving Johnny a teasing smile of his own. "You're legally allowed to build it."

"I don't care about no age restrictions." He goes to shove Max playfully and he ducks away with a laugh. "But thanks. I like it a lot." What he really wants to do it open the box up and start messing around with it, but he restrains himself. He pushes Max's present towards him. "Open yours already."

Max picks the box up, and now it's Johnny's turn to be nervous that he won't like it. "Wow, this is pretty heavy." He squints at Johnny. "There's nothing in here that's gonna blow up or something like that, is there?"

"'course not," Johnny says back, scandalized, and Max laughs again.

"I'm just messing with you." He unwraps the box, looking at the bare cardboard underneath. "Geez, you think you put enough duct tape on this?" He asks dryly, struggling to open it.

"Y'want some help-"

"No, I got it." Max rips the last of the tape off and the box falls apart, dumping the contents onto the floor with a loud clatter. He looks at it for a moment. "Is that my scooter?"

"Um, yeah." He looks away, embarrassed. "I just- I felt bad about breakin' it and- and y'said I could take a look at it so-"

"Yeah, back in October," Max interrupts, sounding amused. "How'd you even get the parts?"

Johnny points to the kitchen. "I asked yer sister."

"Oh." Max spins one of the wheels on the scooter. "Thanks," he says, giving Johnny a big, soft smile that makes his heart skip a beat. It skips a couple more when he leans over and hugs him. Johnny just freezes, hands hovering awkwardly, not sure if he should hug Max back or not. He eventually settles for gently putting a hand on his side, and he feels him jump a bit.

"Sorry," he blurts, automatically.

"For what?" Max finally pulls back, face red. He gets to his feet before Johnny can think of an answer, picking up the scooter. "Man, I missed having wheels." He shoots him a grin. "You're gonna have to show me the best spots in the town to do some tricks."

"Y'got it." He grins back, all sharp and crooked.

"Hey, kids!" Max's dad hollers from the kitchen. "You guys want cookies?"

"Yeah!" Max yells in response, darting out of the living room, still holding the scooter.

"Haven't seen that in a while," Max's dad is saying when Johnny enters the kitchen, pointing at the scooter.

"It, um. It broke?" Max offers, weakly. He gestures at Johnny. "He fixed it for me."

"Aww. That's sweet." He gives him a very knowing look and Johnny feels his face get all hot. He awkwardly sidles over to the table. Zoey's sitting at it again, peeling cookies off the tray.

"Hey, Max," she calls, pointing at a particularly disfigured snowman-shaped cookie, "that's you, 'cuz it looks all funny."

Max just sticks his tongue out at her, good-naturedly, and snatches the cookie up, taking a big bite out of it. "You can't judge based on appearances, y'know," he tells her, voice muffled, and he's looking at Johnny for some reason when he says it. "You gotta take some now, dude," he adds, nudging him in the side, "'cuz otherwise I can and will eat all of these myself."

"Hey, save some for me!" Zoey squeals, slapping Max's hand aside when he goes in for another one. He frowns but draws back.

Johnny just laughs, reaching out for a cookie of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the christmas chapter going up in october is so funny to me


	34. hellhound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies in advance for this

"This sucks!" Max complains loudly, crossing his arms with a huff. "This is exactly how I want to spend my birthday," he mutters to Johnny. "Out in the woods in the middle of the night."

"Sorry." He gives him a mild shrug, watching Isabel reach out and pat Max on the shoulder sympathetically. They're all standing in a clearing in the woods, by the barrier that Johnny had run into in October, waiting to start a "mission". Whatever that meant. He’d been hanging out with Max all day, listening to his dad tell the same story about the time he watched the ball drop in New York City over and over- at least he had been, until Isabel’d called Max, saying something important had come up.

 Spender's standing at the edge of the clearing, talking on his phone. Johnny's lost track of Ed and Isaac, but they were probably around here somewhere. They're all holding flashlights, 'cept for Max, 'cuz he can see in the dark.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been born on one of the days spirits are at their strongest," Isabel starts, voice teasing, and Max snorts. "How's being a teen feel?"

"Well, at the moment, kinda cold and damp." Max zips up his jacket as far as it'll go and takes a step closer to Johnny, practically pressing up against him. He swallows, feeling his temperature shoot up in response. Isabel gives him a smirk and he scowls back at her.

"Hey," Johnny says, trying to ignore how close Max is right now, "anyone wanna tell me why this barrier thingy's here anyway?" He raises his hand and knocks on it. It's super weird touching something that's invisible, and for a moment he's reminded of his panicked flight from the Doorman's house.

"It's always been here," Isabel says breezily, laying her own hand flat against it. "It keeps spirits from getting in or out of Mayview. Spectrals too."

He eyes her dubiously. "So yer sayin' it's like a jail?"

"No, it's-" She starts, then cuts herself off, brows furrowed. "I don't actually know why it's here," Isabel says, slowly. "I've never really thought to ask? I always thought it was for, y'know, protection. To keep bad stuff from getting in."

"Maybe it's to keep bad stuff from gettin' out," Johnny says back, and there's a silence. Isabel crosses her arms, glancing over at Spender with a frown. Johnny follows her gaze. He's still on the phone. It looks like he's arguing with someone, 'cuz there's a lot of yellow smoke coming off him.

There's the sound of snow crunching as Ed comes bounding out of the trees, the beam of light from his flashlight bouncing around wildly. Johnny feels Max flinch next to him as the light passes across their faces.

"Jesus!" He yelps, pressing the palm of his hands to his eyes. "Dude, be careful!"

"Oops. Sorry." Ed switches the flashlight off. "Man, I wish Mr. Spender would hurry up and start already," he grumbles, pulling out his phone and checking the time. The light from the screen makes his glasses glow a bit and it's kinda creepy. "It's almost nine. That only gives us a coupla hours to patrol the whole barrier."

"What?" Max bursts out loudly. "That's gonna take forever! My dad's already upset that I talked my way out of his New Year’s Eve party, and I'm pretty sure he'll cry for real if I get home later than midnight."

"Well, not the whole thing," Ed amends hastily. "He said somethin' about there being weak spots in the barrier? So I think we're just gonna check those out-"

"Check 'em out for what?" Johnny interrupts, feeling lost.

Isabel shoots a quick glance at Spender, then leans in. "I think he's worried about the Cousinhood," she whispers.

"Who-"

She flaps her hand, shushing him. "They're a big creepy cult. They fight spirits and monsters and stuff, like us, but...more creepily? Nobody likes them."

"Oh," Johnny says, like that'd explained anything.

"So you think Spender thinks the Cousinhood's gonna try and get into Mayview tonight?" Max asks, eyebrow raised.

"Well...yeah." She shrugs. "I mean, we do this patrol every year, but I've never seen him so worked up about it before." Spender shouts something suddenly, indistinctly, as if to punctuate her point. They all turn to look at him. He glances back at them, sheepish expression on his face, and lowers his phone.

"Okay, children!" He calls brightly, crossing the clearing. "Are we ready to start this mission?" He pauses for a moment, and Johnny can see him counting under his breath. "We're one short. Where's Isaac?"

"Isaac!" Isabel bellows at the top of her lungs, and they all wince and lean away from her. "Get over here!"

There's the sound of twigs snapping and Isaac comes running out of the woods, skidding to a stop next to them. He's got leaves in his hair and dirt all over his face.

"What were you-" Max starts, gesturing at him.

"Don't ask," Isaac interrupts, sounding vaguely irritated.

"Uh. Okay?" 

Spender claps his hands loudly, recapturing their attention. "Okay, kids. We're going to break up into groups of three-"

"Why not groups of two?" Isabel asks, arms crossed. "That way we can cover more ground."

"Because-" He hesitates for a moment. "I'm not saying I'm...expecting...unwelcome visitors, per se, but it'd be better to go in larger groups just in case. Strength in numbers," he adds, giving them all a grin that nobody returns, and it slowly drops. Spender clears his throat, continuing on. "Isaac, Isabel, you're with me. Ed, you go with Max and Johnny, all right?"

"Alright!" Ed exclaims, turning to Johnny and Max and raising his hand for a high-five. "Go Team, um. Uh." He frowns, lowering his hand. "I can't think of a good name, guys. We've got too many different themes going on here."

Isabel snorts and punches him in the arm. "You goof. You guys be careful, okay?" She adds, looking at all of them.

"My team will go this way," Spender says, pointing to the right. "And you'll be going that way." He points to the left. "We'll meet back at my car at 11:30. Does everyone remember where it is?" They all nod. "Good. Now- Ed." He looks at him. "Do you remember how to check for weak spots in the barrier?"

"Yeah." He gives him a big grin and a thumbs up.

"Excellent." Spender's voice gets serious. "I want to repeat what Isabel said earlier. Be careful. If you run into any trouble you think you can't handle, call me immediately. Understand?"

"Yeah," Ed says again, more subdued this time.

"Good." Spender nods sharply and spins around. "Isabel, Isaac, let's go!" He calls, striding across the clearing. Johnny watches them go before turning back to Max and Ed.

"So," he starts, "if this barrier thingy goes around all of Mayview, why're we out here in this particular spot?"

Ed doesn't respond for a minute, busy fishing his paintbrush out of his pocket. "It's 'cuz we're close to the river and it's weaker by the water," he announces finally. "I dunno why. But they're always sendin' agents out here to fix it up." He frowns for a moment. "They haven't sent any this year, though, which is weird." He shrugs and turns around, heading off into the woods.

"You really think we're gonna run into any of these Cousinhood guys?" Max asks as they follow after him.

"Maybe?" Ed sounds unsure. "I hope not."

Max nudges Johnny in the ribs. "Keep an eye out for any weirdos in cloaks," he deadpans. Johnny has to stifle a laugh and Max shoots him a grin. "So," he continues, "how're we gonna know where these 'weak spots' are?" He does finger quotes.

"It's easy," Ed says back. He puts his hand against the barrier, walking along it. "It'll feel like...softer? I dunno how to explain it, really." He pauses as they come to a small creek, half-frozen over. "Like here!" He exclaims loudly. "C'mon, come touch it."

Johnny shoots a quick look at Max. He just shrugs back. "This feels dumb," he mutters, stepping up next to Ed and pressing his hand against the barrier. "What 'm I- oh." It doesn't feel like the solid wall he's used to. It's more like...soggy? Kinda like touching jello. He extends his arm further, feeling the barrier stretch around it. "Ew." He pulls back with a grimace, shaking his hand.

Max wanders up to them and pokes the barrier. "Wow. That's kinda freaky."

"You get used to it." Ed steps back, putting his hands on his hips and doing a slow circle. "Anybody see anything strange or unusual?"

Johnny glances out into the woods, shining his flashlight on a couple trees. It's dark, moonlight barely filtering down through the bare branches, and quiet. Almost too quiet, he thinks. Shouldn't there be at least some animals out doing stuff? "I don't-" He cuts himself off as the flashlight beam falls on a large, shadowy shape curled up at the base of a tree. "Uh." He points at it. "That unusual?"

The shape turns to look at them. At least, that's what he think it's doing, 'cuz it doesn't have eyes. Or a face. It stands up, slowly, taking a few steps toward them. Johnny squints at it. "Is that a dog?"

"Uh-oh," Max says from behind him, very quietly. He sounds freaked and Johnny glances over his shoulder at him. He's got a white-knuckled grip on his bat, eyes huge.

"Y'know what that is?" He jerks a thumb at the weird dog thing. It's still just standing there, watching him.

"Yeah." His voice is tight. "Me and Iz ran into them on the Ghost Train my first week here. They're really, really hard to beat."

"Ohhh," Ed says suddenly. " _ Those _ things. Izzy told me about them."

They all turn to look at the spirit. "It doesn't look that bad," Johnny starts, dubiously. "It- oh,  _ hell- _ " He scrambles backward as the spirit's face splits open, revealing a mouth full of big, flat teeth.

"They can peel their whole faces off!" Max yelps, jumping back as well. "Trust me, it's bad news!" He glares at the spirit, holding his bat out. "Hey, back off! Your friends got their butts kicked last time they messed with us, so- so get going!" The spirit sits down and he blinks. "Did that actually work?"

The spirit throws its head back and howls. Johnny feels it more than hears it, the sound spiking right through his head like someone's just stabbed him in the brain. He covers his ears, face screwed up in a grimace. The howl dies away and he cautiously uncovers them. There's a ringing noise in the air, and he can't tell if it's actually there or if he's just imagining it. "What was that all about?" He asks, a bit shakily.

"I dunno." Max edges closer to him, biting his lip. "They didn't do that last time."

"Well-" He's trying to sound braver than he feels right now, 'cuz the dog thing is seriously starting to freak him out. "There's only one of 'em. Shouldn't be too hard t'beat."

Two more dog spirits slink out of the tree to stand next to the one that's been watching them. Max turns to look at Johnny with a frown. "Thanks, you just jinxed it."

"How was I supposed t'know it had friends?" He protests, gesturing at the trio of spirits. Had the other two always been there, or had the howl summoned them? Doesn't really matter, Johnny supposes.

"I'm calling Spender." Ed lowers his flashlight a bit, hand slipping into his pocket. One of the dogs starts making a high-pitched keening while the other two growl, fur on their backs bristling.

"Uh," Max starts, nervously, "I don't think they like that idea very much-" He cuts off with a yelp as the dogs charge them, throwing himself to the side. "Yep, they definitely don't like it!" He yells, swinging his bat towards one of the spirits. It ducks it easily, unpeeling more of its face.

"Eww," Ed says, firing a burst of green energy at another one of the dogs running past him. "That's so gross." The energy hits it square in the side and yips angrily, changing course and barrelling towards him.

"Woah, watch out!" Johnny blurts, jumping in its path and tackling it. He catches the dog around its middle and they both fall to the ground. The spirit's on top of him now, and it's  _ heavy, _ like it's pure muscle. He tries to shove it off at the same time it lunges its head forward, teeth snapping loudly in the air. Johnny elbows it in the face and it growls, ears flattening. The damn thing's so heavy he can barely breathe and now it's going in for his neck, mouth open wide and-

He grabs it by the face and wrenches its head aside so it gets a mouthful of snow instead of him. The dog's fur feels oily and coarse beneath his fingers, and he grimaces. There's a low sizzling sound, the smell of burnt meat filling the air. The dog shakes its head frantically, screams that sound entirely too human escaping from its throat.

He's-

He’s burning it alive.

Johnny lets go, horrified, and quickly regrets it when the dog rears above him, unpeeling half its body. It's mostly mouth, he notes dimly. Nothing should have that many teeth. It makes as if to bite him again he scrambles back frantically, slipping in the half-melted slush on the ground. He catches a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of his eye, and then Max’s bat smashes into the side of the dog's head. 

The spirit screams again, lifting a foot and swiping at Max, claws extended. He leaps backwards, barely avoiding it. The dog growls angrily, charging him. Johnny reaches out desperately and grabs it by its back foot, pulling it off balance. The dog goes down, hard, and Max slams his bat against its skull again. There's a sickening crunch, and it goes still.

Johnny stares at Max, wide-eyed. "Did-did ya kill it?"

"I don't know." Max grabs him by the arm and hauls him to his feet, eyeing the spirit warily. "They can like- revive themselves? Or something."

"Hey guys, a little help?" Ed shouts from where's he's cornered against the base of a tree by the other two spirits.

"I'm coming!" Max yells back, racing over to him. Johnny's about to follow when something heavy slams into the back of his legs, knocking him to the ground. He rolls over quickly, skittering away from the dog standing over him. Is there another one, or- his eyes dart over to the spot where the one Max had 'killed' had been lying. It's not there anymore.

Great, Johnny thinks, aiming a kick at the dog when it advances on him. They're immortal. It dodges easily and pounces forward and Johnny throws his arms up over his face but he doesn't quite get there in time and now it's behind him and the dog's teeth close around his- shirt?

It's got a grip on the neck of his shirt and Johnny doesn't have time to figure out what just happened before the dog yanks its head violently, dragging him backwards. He flails, trying to grab or hit or- or burn the spirit, but he can't reach. Take the shirt off, he thinks, distantly, but the neck's digging into his throat and he can't wiggle his way free and he's choking-

"Max!" He yells, voice strangled.

"Johnny!" He hears him yell back. "I can't- get out of my way!" There's a thud and a whine. "They won't let us through! Let him go!" A burst of black energy flies through the air overhead, closely followed by Ed's green one, and that's the last thing Johnny sees before he's dragged into the darkness of the woods. The sounds of the battle fade away.

He tries to free himself again, tries grabbing roots and branches that are sticking up out of the snow to try and slow their movement, but the dog's relentless. Shoot fire at it, a part of his brain tells him. Breathe fire. Set it on fire. It's gonna kill you. Johnny reaches out behind him, fingers just barely slipping against the dog's fur. Set it on fire, he tells himself. Set it on fire. Set it on fire. Set it on fire, set it on fire, set it on fire-

He can't.

He can't.

He's too scared.

Johnny feels angry tears start up in his eyes and he wants to scream. Why can't he do this? The one stupid freaking time he actually wants to use his powers, and he's too much of a wimp to do it. He slams his fists into the ground, redoubling his efforts to escape. The dog pauses for a moment and smacks him across the face with a paw and he gasps, ears ringing. There's blood in his mouth and he spits it out and the dog takes him deeper into the woods.

He doesn't know how long the dog drags him for. It feels like hours. It’s probably only a few minutes. Finally, it lets go, and he shoots to his feet so fast he makes himself light-headed.

"Well, well," a voice drawls from behind him, and he whirls around. "Look what the mutt dragged in." He can just barely make out the outline of a person standing there, a darker smudge against the night.

"You- whattya want from me?" He blusters, dropping into fight mode, fists raised.

"With you, kid?" They extend their arms. "Nothin'."

"Then why'd ya-" He cuts off as a pair of large hands fall on his shoulder and drag him backwards.

"Have a seat," a new voice says, and the hands press him down onto something hard. A rock?. There's the sound of a match being lit and then a candle sputters into life, illuminating the skull-like mask of the figure holding it. They're wearing a hooded cloak, and Johnny can see another similarly-dressed person standing by the trees, next to the dog spirit. He swallows, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder. There's another robed figure looming behind him.

Johnny swears a couple times under his breath. He's pretty sure these are the creepy cultists Max was talking about. What do they want with him? No way does he believe that it's 'nothing'. "I'm- you better let me go right now," he says loudly, staring down the one in front of him with the candle. "I got fire powers! I'll- I'll burn this whole place down!" His voice shakes a bit on the last sentence and he bites the inside of his cheek, angry and scared and feeling way in over his head.

"Ooh, spunky," the cultist by the dog calls. "Maybe we should recruit him."

The one with the candle turns around, and Johnny gets the impression they're glaring. "Shut up. There ain't any time or room in the Cousinhood for snot-nosed brats." They turn back to him. "Fire powers, huh? Then how come you didn't use them on Fido here?" They jerk a thumb over their shoulder at the spirit.

"Uh." He flounders. "I was-" He jerks back with a yelp as the cultist bends down and shoves the candle in his face, close enough that he can feel the heat of the flame on his skin.

"Oh, that's rich." They stand back up. "A fire spectral who's scared of fire."

"'m not scared o'anythin'!" Johnny yells, trying to ignore the way his hands have started shaking. He clenches then and lunges forward, and he doesn't know if he's going to attack the cultist or try to escape. He makes it halfway off the rock before the one standing behind him catches him, forcing him back down.

"Don't be too mean to him," they say. "He's just a kid."

"Does it look like I care?" The one with the candle says, sharply. They crouch down so they're at eye level with Johnny, the empty sockets of their skull mask boring into him. "I wanna talk to you."

"Yer already talkin' t'me!"

"Not you," they say with exaggerated patience, reaching out and tapping a finger against his forehead. "You. Big boy. The one freeloadin' in this kid's body. I know you can hear me."

"Who- Forge?" Johnny blurts out before he can stop himself. "What do you want with him?"

"Forge, huh?" The cultist snickers. "Fitting name." They stand up. "I'm not a very patient person," they tell Johnny. "So it'd be best if you came out now before we have to resort to more drastic measures."

Then they slap him across the face, hard. Johnny pitches off the rock, landing on his side in the snow with all the wind knocked out of him. There's blood in his mouth again. He grabs onto the rock and hauls himself upright, glaring at the cultists, breathing hard. "'m gonna kill ya," he grits out. He's blustering, again, 'cuz his knees have gone all unsteady and his grip on the rock is the only thing keeping him upright.

They all laugh. "I like him," the one by the dog says. "You sure we can't recruit him? He could be our mascot or something."

"Absolutely not," the one with the candle snaps. They reach out for him and he jumps out of reach, ducking under the big one's arms when they go to grab him. "Someone catch that damn kid!" The candle creep yells as Johnny books it towards the trees. He can lose them in the woods, he tells himself. He can go find Max and everyone else.

He loses his footing the snow and goes down hard. He scrambles upwards, half crawling, half running. He can hear the cultists chasing after him.

"Use my power, boy." Forge's voice booms as he stumbles into a charred landscape. The loudness of it makes him startle. "They will hurt you if they catch you." 

"Shut up!" Johnny yells back, racing past the spirit and back into the real world. "I don't need your help!" A low-hanging branch scrapes across his cheek and he curses. "This is all your fault," he mutters. "I never wanted this. I never wanted this!" He shouts that last bit, skidding to a stop and whirling around and-

 -the air's hot and suddenly all of the trees are burning.

He can barely see the cultists through the thick, black smoke swirling around him, but he can hear them. They're screaming something, and he can't tell if it's from anger or from pain, voices barely discernible above the crackling of the fire and the creaking and groaning of the trees. He doesn't see the dog until it's too late.

It leaps out of the smoke and slams into him, knocking him to the ground and sinking its teeth into his side and now  _ he's _ screaming-

There's a blinding flash of light and something golden streaks through the trees. It rips the spirit off him, impaling it with beams of light, over and over and over, until the spirit stops regenerating and lies still. Nine lives, Johnny thinks dimly. Like a cat. He watches, vision blurry, as the golden thing spins around to face the three cultists emerging from the smoke. Their robes are smoldering, masks made even darker with soot.

"I told you to stay out of my town!" He vaguely recognizes the furious voice as Spender's. The golden thingy's him?

"We have business here, Spender!" The cultist that had been holding the candle spits back. "You can't stop us!"

"I can, and I will." Spender's tone is ice cold, and somehow that scares Johnny more than the yelling. "You have no business here. Get out before I make you."

The candle cultist laughs, a wheezy, strangled sound. "Fine. But you know we'll just come back, right? Who's gonna stop us? You don't have any allies left, Rick. You burned all your bridges a long time ago." They turn around and disappear into the haze, the other two hesitating briefly before joining them. Spender watches them all go.

Johnny's definitely starting to feel woozy now. His face hurts from being backhanded and from running into branches and the bite wound just under his ribs hurts and it's worse every time he takes a breath so he's trying not to breathe and-

"Are you all right?" Spender crouches down next to him, worried face appearing in his line of view.

"'m fine," Johnny says, and then he passes out.

He wakes back up slowly, head pounding. It takes him a couple seconds to figure out where he is. He's lying in the backseat of Spender's car. The doors are open, light from the headlights illuminating the interior. He can hear Spender himself in the distance, voice muffled. It sounds like he's arguing with someone. Probably making another phone call, Johnny thinks. He tries to sit up, biting back a groan as his wound twinges.

"Woah, hey!" Someone presses him back down, gently. "Don't move for a bit, okay?"

"Mm." Johnny blinks a couple times, trying to bring his vision into focus. "Max?"

"Yeah." He leans over him, breaking out into a relieved smile. He's got a big bruise spreading across his cheek.

"Wha' happened t'yer face?" He's slurring a bit. It feels like his brain's full of mush right now.

"What happened to  _ my _ face?" Max sounds incredulous. "Dude, have you seen yourself? You're a mess! I-" He cuts himself off, getting very quiet. "When I saw Spender carrying you back here I thought- I thought you were dead."

"Oh." He swallows. "Well, 'm not."

"Yeah, I can see that." He gives him a small smile. "I'm glad. You scared me, man."

"Sorry," Johnny says, softly. He's silent for a moment. "Am I allowed t'sit up yet?"

Max lets out a weak laugh. "Just don't strain yourself, okay?"

"'m not gonna," he mutters, levering himself up. The bite hurts and he grits his teeth, doing his best to ignore it. Everything gets all wobbly and he leans his forehead against the seat in front of him, closing his eyes.

"You okay?" Max asks, alarmed.

Johnny takes a deep breath. He smells like smoke, and it's making him nauseous. "Yeah." He doesn't open his eyes. "What happened?" He feels the car shift as Max climbs into the now-empty seat next to him.

"Well-" He starts, then pauses. "That one spirit dragged you off and me and Ed couldn't get past the other two-"

"How's he?" Johnny interrupts.

"He's fine, don't worry. So are Isabel and Isaac. They're outside."

"Oh. Good."

"Ed finally managed to call Spender," Max continues, "and he came over and killed the spirits. Guess he told Isabel and Isaac to go to the car? Then we saw the fire and figured that's where you'd be."

Johnny half-opens one eye and looks at Max. "He send ya away too?"

"Uh, yeah." He glances away. "I didn't- I didn't want to, but- I dunno. I've never seen him look that...serious, I guess? It was kinda scary."

"Mhm." He closes his eye again.

"Hey." Max touches his hand, very gently. "What- what happened out there?"

Johnny's quiet for a bit. "Think I ran into those weird cultists you were talking about earlier," he mumbles finally.

"Woah, seriously?" Max bursts out. "The Cousinhood? What- why? How'd they get past the barrier? What did they want with you?"

That's way too many questions for him to handle right now, so he just focuses on the last one. "They said they wanted ta talk t'Forge. Dunno why." He sits up stiffly, looking at Max. "Didn't seem like they liked him much."

He bites his lip. "Isabel and I were eavesdropping on Spender a couple weeks ago," he starts, slowly. "The day the whole Dr. Ectoplasm thing happened. I kinda got the impression the Cousinhood was like...looking for Forge?"

"Great," Johnny mutters. "A buncha wacko freaks in capes got beef with the spirit livin' in me." His heads hurting even worse now. What the hell did Forge do to tick them off?

"I'm sorry. That sucks." Max gives him a worried look, and Johnny suddenly feels guilty. It's not like he's the only one with problems from unwilling spiritual possession. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asks, gesturing towards his own face.

Johnny raises a hand to his cheek, wincing when his fingers press against a cut. He's about to tell Max about the bite but- but then he thinks about how damn  _ worried _ he'd be, and his stomach twists. Besides, it's probably not that bad. It's not even really bleeding. He can take care of it himself. "Nah," he says, and the lie makes him feel worthless. "This is just from those dog spirits."

Max gives him a look he can't quite place. "You sure?"

"Yeah." He gives him a weak smile.

"Hey, kids." Spender's voice sounds suddenly, and Johnny looks over to see him leaning into the car, hand on the roof. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Johnny says back, and it's the truth.

Spender's mouth twists to the side. "I'm sorry I didn't get there earlier. I'm...I'm sorry I got you all into this mess." He looks behind him, and where Isabel, Ed, and Isaac are standing clustered around the trunk. "I wasn't expecting this, but- that's no excuse."

"It's fine," Isabel starts to say, and he cuts her off.

"No, it's not. It's-" His expression grows distant. "It's not. It hasn't been for a long time." He shakes his head, turning his attention back to Johnny. "You're looking a little beat up. I know a doctor-"

"It's nothing," Johnny interrupts. "It's just a couple of scrapes. I've had worse."

Spender jerks back like he's been stung, and Johnny exchanges a glance with Max, confused. He looks just as bewildered as he feels. "Well, all right," Spender says, giving him a strained smile. "Let's get you kids home."

The ride back is quiet and tense. They're all packed into the car like sardines, and every bump in the road makes the pain from the bite flare up. Johnny's worn out, both physically and emotionally, and he can't keep his eyes open despite himself.

He falls asleep on Max's shoulder halfway home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey i got a question for y'all! i probably won't be able to get back to a 2x/week update schedule for a while so: do you guys prefer updates on wednesdays or sundays?


	35. fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks everyone for the input! i think i'll keep it at wednesday updates since that seemed to be the general consensus

Max almost makes it all the way through his first day back at school after winter break without being bothered by anyone. He's just leaving shop, savoring the feeling, 'cuz it’s kinda like being a normal kid again, when someone grabs him by the hood of his jacket. He jerks to a stop with a choking noise and just stands there, closing his eyes in defeat. So much for that.

"Hey," a familiar voice says. "Johnny in class with you?"

The grip on his hood releases and Max turns around to see Ollie leaning against the wall by the classroom door. "Nah," he says, readjusting his jacket with mild exasperation. Which had been kinda weird, come to think of it. Max had just assumed Coach Oop had him doing paperwork or something. "Why? Did you lose him?"

Ollie scoffs and rolls his eyes. "When's the last time you saw him?"

"Uh...Monday? So two days ago." Max almost adds 'after the whole forest thing', but stops himself just in time. He doesn't know how much Johnny's told them about that, and he doesn't want to be responsible for making his friends freak out if it turns out they didn't actually know anything. Spender had dropped him off at his apartment around midnight, even though Max had said he could stay over again if he wanted, but Johnny'd said he didn't feel like it and he had to pretend like that didn't hurt. "Why're you asking? Is something wrong?"

"Me and RJ and Stephen didn't see him at all this morning." Ollie's frowning a bit. "We thought he was with you."

"I thought he was with you guys." He casts a quick, anxious glance around, just in case Stephen and RJ were hiding nearby, ready to jump him. "Where is the rest of your gang, anyway?"

"Detention." His frown's even deeper now. "He's not responding to any of our texts and his place was quiet when we hit it up yesterday. I'm worried."

_ That _ definitely makes Max worried too. All he can think is that the dog spirits or the Cousinhood or both hurt Johnny a lot more than he said they had, and he suddenly, desperately needs to go make sure he's okay. "Then let's go swing by and check up on him," he says, hiking his backpack up, aiming for casual. He can feel his brain teetering on the edge of an anxiety attack, and he bites the inside of his cheek, trying to keep it together.

Ollie gives him a grin. "Read my mind." He puts a huge hand on Max's back and starts pushing him down the hallway.

"Woah, what about the rest of your friends?" Max protests, digging his heels in. It's a pretty useless move, 'cuz Ollie just keeps shoving him along like he doesn't weigh more than a bunch of feathers. "Wouldn't they wanna come too?"

"Yeah," Ollie says, "but they won't be out of detention for another hour and that's too long to wait. They'll understand."

"Oh. Okay." He takes a quick sidestep, ducking away from him. "I can walk by myself, you know."

Ollie snorts a bit at that. "Just don't slow me down."

"Slow you- you couldn't catch me if you tried," Max shoots back. Ollie just rolls his eyes again but doesn't say anything, and Max follows him out of the school and into the cold.

The rest of the walk to Johnny's apartment building is awkward and silent. Max is busy overthinking things. He keeps telling himself that it's fine, it's probably nothing, but he can't shake the feeling that it's really, really not. He's so preoccupied with his thoughts that he doesn't even notice when they arrive, walking straight into Ollie when he stops at the door.

"Watch where you're goin'," he rumbles, eyes narrowed. Max shrinks back a bit, hands raised in surrender.

"Sorry," he squeaks out.

Ollie just shakes his head in response. They hover suspiciously around the front door until someone pushes it open as they exit, giving them a weird look. Max gives them the most innocent smile he's got. It seems to work. Sorta. They frown a bit but don't ask any questions, walking away.  Ollie grabs the door before it swings shut, ushering Max inside.

"Hey," Ollie says again where they're in the stairwell, fixing him with a stern eye. "You didn't...run into anything bad Monday night, did ya? Johnny told us your weirdo club was doin' a mission or whatever out in the woods."

"Uh," Max starts, awkwardly. He fidgets with the zipper on his coat. "Um. Yeah," he admits. "There were these dog spirits and-" He stops himself. "How much did he tell you?"

"Nothin'." Ollie grimaces. "Haven't heard from him since then."

"Right," Max says, faintly. The worry's starting to make his stomach hurt. He bites his lip, concentrating on taking the steps one at a time. Man, Johnny must really be in bad shape if he's gone all radio silent on his friends. Max pauses on the third floor landing, letting Ollie go first and trailing after him down the hall.

They stop in front of the last door and Ollie knocks on it a couple times, loudly. There's no response. Max strains to hear any noise coming from inside the apartment, but there's nothing. "You think maybe his dad's home?" He asks, a bit nervously. Max is really not in the mood to meet a strange, apparently borderline alcoholic adult right now.

"Probably not," Ollie says back. "He never is." He tries the doorknob. It turns easily, and they both look at each other.

"Huh. Guess it's a sign the universe wants us to go in," Max quips. He reaches out and pushes the door open cautiously, sticking his head inside. The hallway in front of him is dark and almost unsettlingly quiet. And it's boiling. The air's doing that little weird shimmery thing it does on really hot summer days. It's like stepping out into the desert, he thinks, unzipping his jacket with a grimace. He's starting to get sweaty already.

"Man, it's hot in here," Ollie remarks from behind him, pulling the door shut. "You think it's Johnny's powers goin' haywire again?"

"Probably." Max bites his lip again. He's never given off this much heat before, and it worries him. He lets Ollie go ahead of him again, hovering awkwardly as he knocks on the bedroom door.

"Hey, Johnny!" He calls. "You in there, man?" There's a vague noise from the other side of the door, and Ollie lets out a little sigh of relief. "Least he's home," he mutters to Max, pushing the door open.

The wave of heat that greets them is so intense it takes Max's breath away for a moment.  Johnny's on his bed, shirtless. All the blankets and pillows and sheets have been stripped off and tossed in a pile on the floor, and he's curled up on the bare mattress, not moving. Max gets a horrible, sinking feeling in his stomach, and he practically runs across the room. He drops down by the bed, and Johnny stirs a bit. "Oh my God," Max says in relief. "You're still alive."

"Mm." Johnny blinks a bit at him, eyes unfocused and face all sweaty. The heat he's giving off is almost unbearable. "Max?" He sounds confused, slurring his words a bit.

"Yeah," he affirms. "And Ollie's here too." He gestures at where he's standing just behind him, looking extremely worried. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"I lied t'ya," Johnny mumbles, pressing his face into the mattress.

"What?" Max furrows his brow. "About what?"

"Dog bit me." He's barely audible at this point.

"It what-" Max cuts himself off as Johnny uncurls a bit, exposing a bite mark on his side, just below his ribs. He hears Ollie take in a sharp breath.

"Jesus," he says, and Max silently agrees. There's several jagged puncture wounds, the skin around them alternating between an angry red and a mottled black. The bite's not bleeding, but it still looks pretty nasty.

"You've got an infection," Max realizes, sitting back a bit. He presses a hand to his forehead. "What- why didn't you tell me you got hurt?"

"Didn't want ya t'worry," Johnny says, blearily. "Wasn't that bad."

"Well, I'm plenty worried now!" He half-yells that, then forces himself to calm down. Getting mad isn't going to help anybody. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna call Isabel, okay? Maybe she'll know what to do." He stands up, digging his phone out of his pocket and dialing her number.

"Hold it!" Ollie grabs his shoulder roughly. "We gotta call a doctor or an ambulance or something, not your friend."

"That's not gonna help!" Max snaps back. He takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. It's just- he got bit by a spirit, so I think the infection's probably all spirit-like too. I don't think a normal doctor would be able to do anything." Ollie glowers at him for a bit but eventually relents, dropping his hand. Max steps back, lifting the phone to his ear.

"What's up?" Isabel asks when she finally picks up. Max can hear aggressive grunting in the background and wonders if he interrupted her during training.

"Uh," he says, eyeing Johnny. "We got trouble."

"What kinda trouble?" Her voice gets serious. The background noise fades. He guesses she's moving to a more secluded spot. "Is it about Spender or your spirit?"

"No, it's-" Max takes a deep breath. "It's Johnny. He's sick. Like really, really sick. He got bit by one of those dog spirits Monday night and now I'm pretty sure he's got an infection."

She swears from the other side of the line. "Be right over. What's his address?"

"Uh." Max doesn't actually know. He just knows how to get here from landmarks. "What's the address?" He asks, glancing over at Ollie. He tells him and he repeats it to her.

"Okay, got it. Try not to let him die before I get there." She hangs up before Max can reply.

"Will do," he says dryly to nobody, lowering the phone. "Isabel's on her way." Max puts the phone back in his pocket, looking at Johnny. "Do you think we should like, try to cool him down or something? I'm not really sure what to do here." He knows how to handle mild fevers and other stuff like that, but this has him feeling completely over his head. "Or at least open the window."

"'m not hot," Johnny protests weakly from the bed as Ollie crosses over to the window and levers it open. The cold air that rushes in barely has an effect on the temperature in the room.

"You're burning up," Max tells him, putting the back of his hand to his forehead and jerking it away almost imminently. Johnny's almost scalding to the touch. "You definitely have a fever."

"Do not," he mumbles back, and Max sighs in exasperation.

"If you say so." He's not about to get sucked into a round of did-not-did-too right now. Max sits down on the bed next to him, shrugging his jacket off and tossing it on the floor. Ollie's busy pacing back and forth by the window. "Does it hurt? The bite, I mean."

"Yeah."

"Oh." Max goes quiet, feeling his stomach twist.

Johnny doesn't reply, and for a moment Max thinks he fell asleep. "Hey," he says suddenly, struggling to sit up. "I gotta tell y'somethin'."

"Woah, take it easy!" He presses him back down, doing his best to ignore the heat.

" 's important!" Johnny protests, trying to get back up again.

"I'm sure it is," Max says patiently. "And you can tell me while holding still, okay?"

He just huffs in response and rolls over a bit so his face is pressed up against Max's thigh. He mutters something inaudible and Max leans down, frowning.

"What was that?"

"...said yer really pretty." He says it very loudly, and Max’s face heats up more than he thought would've been humanly possible. His heart's doing something weird, and he's trying and failing to ignore it.

"Wow, you really are out of it." He lets out a stupid, awkward, nervous laugh, just barely resisting the urge to get up and flee the room. "I think he's delirious," he tells Ollie, desperately avoiding eye contact. He just raises an eyebrow at him.

"Probably," Ollie says, and there's something in his tone Max can't figure out.

"'m not de...uh." Johnny fumbles over the word, still curled up against Max. "Y'know. Y'are."

Max can't help but snort at that.  _ That _ definitely sounds more like Johnny. "You're out of your mind right now, man," he tells him. "What, you gonna confess your undying love for me next or something?" He regrets saying that as soon as the words have left his mouth. What- why would he say that? That sounds so weird and creepy.

"Maybe," Johnny mumbles back, voice completely serious, and Max feels his heart slam to a painful stop. Okay, that had  _ definitely _ not been the answer he'd been expecting. It doesn't mean anything, he tells himself firmly. Johnny's clearly not thinking straight right now. That's all.

It still takes him a moment to remember how to breathe. He's trying to think of some sarcastic comeback for that, but his mind's blanking and he's pretty sure he wouldn't be able to speak anyway. "Uh," he finally manages, extremely eloquently. "Definitely delirious then," he says weakly, keeping his gaze trained on the floor. Johnny's quiet, and Max dares a quick glance at him. Looks like he fell asleep for real.

The bed shifts as Ollie sits down on the other side of it. "This...spirit stuff," he starts, quietly, "is really is dangerous, isn't it."

"It's-" Max hesitates, thinking about how he and Johnny had basically just been thrown into the deep end without warning. "Yeah. Sometimes. A lot of times," he amends. "It shouldn't be, but..." He trails off. But Spender's a terrible mentor, he wants to say, but he doesn't.

Ollie gives Max a sidelong look. "Y'know he only got mixed up in this stuff 'cuz of you, right?"

Max doesn't have an answer for that, so he goes back to staring at the floor. The heavy, uncomfortable silence that descends upon the stiflingly hot room is broken about ten minutes later by someone banging very loudly on the front door of the apartment. "Oh, that's probably Isabel," he says, trying to get up. Johnny just mumbles something in his sleep and clings on even tighter, and Max sighs, sitting back down. "It's like you're a cat," he tells him, and the words come out a lot fonder than he'd been expecting.

"I got it." Ollie stands up and leaves the room. Isabel comes bounding in a few seconds later, fanning herself with her hands.

"God, it's like a sauna in here," she complains. Her eyes fall on the bed. "How's he doing?"

"Uh. He's asleep right now?" Max says back. "I'm not sure if that's good or not."

Isabel crosses over to the bed, peering down at Johnny. She winces when she sees the bite. "Oh, that looks nasty. That didn't happen to me when I got bitten-" She cuts herself off with a guilty expression, hand going to her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Max looks at her incredulously. "You got bit by one of those dog spirits too? When?"

"Back on the Ghost Train mission."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Max asks her, and she shakes her head. "You people are going to kill me one day," he mutters in exasperation, burying his face in his hands. "Well, how'd you fix it?"

"I didn't." She plunks down next to him on the bed. "Spender's friend did. Dr. Zarei."

Max lifts his head a bit, glancing at her. "You know how to contact her?"

Isabel chews her lip. "She gave me her phone number," she says, finally. "After the train got fixed. In case I 'ever wanted to answer any of her questions.'" She does finger quotes. "But I don't know if she's busy or not right now. Can't hurt to call, I guess."

"What questions?" Max is curious despite himself.

"She wanted to know, like, what attacked the train, which..." She gestures at Johnny. "I guess that was his spirit, so maybe let's not let her know that? And she also was trying to figure out what Spender was up to. Is up to."

"Aren't we all," Max deadpans, and she snorts.

"Yeah. I'll call her, okay? Just give me a bit." Isabel stands up and wanders out of the room, squeezing past Ollie standing in the doorway. Max can hear her muffled conversation. It ends a lot sooner than anticipated, and she pokes her head back in the room. "She says she'll be here in ten, fifteen minutes."

Max blinks, surprised. "Wow. That's fast."

"She said she was already in Mayview." Isabel's mouth twists a bit. "With Spender."

"Oh." Max briefly wonders what they were doing, but he doesn't spend a lot of mental energy on it 'cuz honestly, he's worn out right now. The worry's settled into his stomach like he's swallowed a stone, and anxiety- about Johnny, about himself, about the shadow spirit, about whatever the heck happened in this town all those years ago- has his nerves wound up so tight it feels like they're going to snap. He glances over at Ollie, thinking about what he said earlier.  _ It's dangerous. _ Their eyes meet and he looks away quickly, embarrassed.

"Hey," Isabel says a few minutes later, breaking the tension. "Where's the rest of the bully boys? Thought it'd be more crowded in here."

"In detention," Ollie says. "They're comin' over after. I texted 'em."

"Hm." She puts her hands on her hips, eyeing him, then sighs. "Fine, I guess. But they better stay out of the way." Ollie just glowers down at her but doesn't disagree. Isabel wanders back over to the bed. "Wow, someone's really clingy," she teases, pointing at where Johnny's latched on to Max's leg like it's a lifeline.

"He's always like that when he sleeps." The words fall out his mouth before he can stop them. "Uh, I mean- um. I don't-" He flounders, face getting increasingly hot.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Uh," Max says again, avoiding eye contact. He's surprised and relieved when Isabel doesn't press it. He  _ is _ speaking from experience, but he doesn't want her- or Ollie- to know that. He's about to try and change the subject when there's another knock at the door.

"I got it!" Isabel yells, darting out of the room. Ollie steps aside as a tall, stern-faced woman in a headscarf and glasses enters a few moments later, glancing around the room like she's taking in the situation. Max remembers her from the Ghost Train mission.

Her eyes fall on him and he gulps, suddenly feeling like he's done something wrong. "Um," he starts.

"What happened here?" Dr. Zarei interrupts him. She turns to Isabel. "You said it was the same type of wound as yours, back in September?"

"Yeah."

"I see." She purses her lips, crossing over to the bed and crouching down over Johnny. Max hears her take in a sharp breath. "This is infected," she says, touching the wound lightly. Johnny jerks a bit, startling awake.

"Wha’ goin' on?" He tries to sit up, blinking blearily.

"Isabel called the doctor," Max tells him, pulling him back down. "Just hold still for a bit, okay?"

"I don't like t'doctor," he mutters, eyeing her. Dr. Zarei's mouth twitches into a tiny smile that drops when she stands up.

"Everyone out," she orders firmly. "You can stay," she adds, giving Max a vaguely amused look. "Since he seems rather attached to you."

"I'm not leavin'-" Ollie starts to protest, but Isabel grabs him by the arm and yanks him out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Dr. Zarei shrugs the bag she'd been carrying off her shoulder, setting it on the bed and rummaging through it. She pulls out a vial and holds it up to the light, shaking it a few times. "I remember you," she says suddenly, and Max jumps, startled. "You're part of Richard's little club." She's not looking at him, focused on the vial. "If I ask what happened, will you be more cooperative?"

"Um." Max hesitates for a moment. It can't really hurt to tell her, right? "We were out in the woods Monday night," he starts, slowly. "Checking the barrier and stuff. And there were these big dog spirits? One of them bit him." He dips his head towards Johnny. Max almost starts to tell her about the Cousinhood, but he stops himself. He doesn't really think Dr. Zarei would be involved with them, but still.

She whips her head around, staring at him. "You said dog spirits?" She demands, sounding agitated.

Max blinks. "Yeah? Do you know them?"

Dr. Zarei doesn't respond for a moment. "They're nothing good." She uncorks the vial, pouring a bright pink liquid out onto her hand. "Have him lie on his back," she tells Max, gesturing at Johnny.

Max leans down a bit. "She says you gotta-"

"Heard her," he says belligerently, reluctantly letting go of Max and rolling over. His face twists up and his hand goes to his side.

"You okay?" Max asks, alarmed.

"Hurts," Johnny grits out, closing his eyes.

Dr. Zarei bends down. "I shouldn't wonder. This should've been treated immediately." There's an accusing tone in her voice.

"Hey, I didn't know about it!" Max protests in response. "None of us did. He didn't tell anyone, 'cuz he's a big dummy who likes to makes his friends worried." He directs that last part at Johnny with a mild glare.

"Sorry," he mutters.

Dr. Zarei studies the bite for a moment. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt," she says, reaching down and spreading the pink liquid on it. Johnny lets out a strangled scream, lashing out, and she jerks back as a sudden wave of fire rises up, hanging in the air. He scrambles back, pressing up against Max, breathing hard and staring at the fire with wide eyes.

There's a sudden loud thump and the bedroom door rattles in its frame. "Sorry!" Isabel yells from the other side. "Ollie just tried to break the door down. You guys doing okay?"

"Yeah!" Max calls back. "I think." He says that last bit under his breath.

"A fire spectral. Interesting." Dr. Zarei tips her head to the side, frowning. "Is he scared of fire?"

"Uh." He watches the sheet of fire extinguish itself. The room's even hotter now. "Yeah," Max admits. "It's, um. It's complicated." He can feel Johnny shaking from where he's pressed up against him, and he reaches out and touches his hand, gently. He flinches and Max quickly withdraws.

"Well." She sighs, face softening a bit. "I'll need to apply more of the medicine. You'll have to hold him still."

"Oh, sure, no biggie," Max deadpans. "Not like he's bigger or stronger than me or anything." He presses Johnny back down on the bed anyway. He's surprisingly compliant, eyes huge and unfocused. "Hey," he says gently, bending over him 'til their foreheads almost touch, "it's okay. I got you, alright?"

Johnny mumbles something incoherent in reply. Max scoots over a bit, sitting crosslegged so he can put his head on his lap. Please don't set me on fire, Max thinks desperately, grabbing both of his hands as Dr. Zarei goes in with more medicine. Johnny's so hot right now that it hurts a little bit to touch him for more than a few seconds, and he grits his teeth, trying to power through. He jerks when Dr. Zarei touches him, but there's no fire this time. Max breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

"There." She straightens up and recorks the vial. "It won't heal it immediately, but it'll help speed up the process and fight the infection." Max sneaks a peek at the bite. It does look a lot better already, he has to admit. The teeth marks themselves are still red-rimmed, but the rest of the skin around them is back to a normal color. "Have him take this," she adds, rummaging around in her bag and pulling out a couple of vials, handing them to Max. "Drink half of one a day until the wound's completely healed."

"Okay," Max says automatically, stuffing them in his pants pocket. He's distracted looking at Johnny. His eyes are half-shut and he's still breathing kinda hard, but his temperature's finally starting to drop off. His hair's all mussed up and Max gives in to the temptation to smooth it back, then impulsively leans down and kisses him on the forehead. Johnny lets out a small noise and closes his eyes completely. He's out cold in a couple of seconds.

Max hesitantly looks up, hunching his shoulders in embarrassment. Dr. Zarei's looking at him in amusement, and he feels himself blush in response. "Uh," he starts, awkwardly. "I didn't- I'm- I don't-" He can't get any words to string together right, so he shuts up instead.

"I'm sure," Dr. Zarei says, dryly. She folds her arms, studying him. "What's your name?" She pauses for a moment, a slight frown working onto her face.

"Max. And that's Johnny." He nods down at his friend passed out in his lap.

"Okay, Max." Dr. Zarei picks up her bag and swings it over her shoulder. "Are you going to tell me why two children have come to me with now with wounds from those particular spirits?" She frowns, eyes getting hard. "Is Richard knowingly putting you into danger?"

"No!" Max bursts out, then hesitates. "Well- no. He doesn't- he doesn't mean to." He might not totally respect Spender, but he can't deny that he does seem to at least care a lot about the Club members. He doesn't want them getting physically hurt, at least. He's definitely the cause of a lot of emotional problems, though.

"Mhm." She doesn't sound convinced. There's a very long silence where she stares him down, and Max gets increasingly fidgety, avoiding eye contact. "Let me ask you this, then," she says, finally. "Do you know what attacked my train?"

"Uh." Max wills himself to not look at Johnny. He thinks about lying, but...she had helped them after all. "Yeah. I do."

"Will you tell me?"

Max hesitates again. "No," he says, slowly.

"May I ask why?" Her frown gets even deeper, green energy wafting from the corners of her glasses.

"'Cuz...cuz I think it'd get someone I care about a lot in trouble," he blurts out, and this time he does look at Johnny, just for a second, before he catches himself. Dr. Zarei follows his gaze and her eyes narrow.

"I see." There's another silence, broken only by the sound of her zipping up her bag.

"Um, Dr. Zarei?" Max asks hesitantly after a few moments, and she looks at him. "Do you...do you know what happened in Mayview about thirteen years ago?"

She goes still, eyes widening a bit. "Yes," she says, quietly.

"Can I- can you tell me?" Max is very aware that they've basically flipped roles from their previous conversation.

"It's not my secret to tell." She turns her head, staring into the distance. "Why are you asking?"

"It's important."

"To whom?"

"To-" Max bites his lip, suddenly feeling like he's about to cry. He wants so, so badly to be able to tell an adult about the shadow spirit, to have them fix like they're supposed to. That's their job. He shouldn't have to deal with this all by himself. "To me."

Dr. Zarei jerks back like she's been stung and Max blinks away tears, confused. "Are you..." She shakes her head, closing her eyes. "No."

"Wha-"

"I'll tell you this," she interrupts, raising her head and looking at him. "The answer you're looking for...it's very dangerous."

"I know," Max says, voice small.

"I won't stop you from this path," Dr. Zarei tells him, a warning note in her voice. "But be careful. Please. There are bigger things buried in this town than you realize." She turns to go, and Max wants to call after her, ask more questions, but his voice sticks. He suddenly feels very alone and very afraid. What is he getting into?

"Hey," he says when her hand's on the doorknob. "Thank you. For coming over and helping, I mean."

She gives him a look that he can't read. "I'm a doctor. It's my job to help."

Then she's gone.

Max hears her saying something to Isabel in the hallway, but he can't make out the words. Isabel sticks her head around the door frame a few seconds later. "He all fixed up?"

"Uh, mostly," he tells her. "She said it'll still take a couple days to heal all the way."

"Bummer." Her eyes fall on where Johnny's currently using Max's lap as a pillow, and a grin creeps across her face. "Aww, that's cute. I'm gonna take a picture."

"Don't you dare," Max hisses, trying to extract himself from under Johnny without waking him up, but it's too late. Isabel's already got her phone out, the flash from the camera making him wince. He finally gets free and lunges across the room, making a grab for the phone. Isabel just laughs and dances out of reach, stuffing it back in her pocket.

"Geez, chill out." She punches him in the shoulder. "I'm not gonna show anyone, don't worry."

Max just glowers back at her. "You better not," he threatens, hustling her out of the room and shutting the door behind them. "I gotta talk to you, though. About what Dr. Zarei told me."

Isabel immediately gets serious. "Okay. But not here." She glances down the hall where the rest of the Jang are standing. "RJ and Stephen showed up a couple minutes after Ollie tried breaking the door down," she tells Max in response to his questioning look. "You know how hard it is trying to corral three beefed-up bullies? I was this close to breaking out Flipflop." She holds her thumb and forefinger up. "I-"

"What's going on?" Stephen demands, forcing his way in between them. "Can we go in yet?"

"Uh-uh." Max bats his hand away from the doorknob sternly. "He's sleeping. Don't bother him." Stephen scowls but pulls back anyway.

Ollie steps up, looming over Max and Isabel. "That doctor lady sure wasn't very friendly," he rumbles, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the front door. "But thanks," he adds, softening a bit. "For calling her."

"Yeah," Isabel says back. "The Club takes care of our own." She grabs Max by the arm, hauling him towards the door. "Look, I gotta steal Max for a bit, alright? You guys keep an eye on Johnny." She opens the door and shoves him out into the hall, closing it behind her. "Okay." She turns to Max. "Spill."

"She said-" He hesitates for a moment. "She knows what the bad thing that happened in Mayview was, but she wouldn't explain. She said it wasn't her secret to tell."

"Right," Isabel says, bitterly. "It's Spender's secret."

"And she told me to be careful." Max goes quiet. "She said there's more stuff hidden in this town than we realize." Whatever that means, he thinks.

"Right," Isabel says again, faintly. Her eyes go unfocused and she stares into the distance for a few seconds before shaking her head. "That just means we have to step up our investigation." She gives him a weak smile. "But I gotta go now. Gramps is super mad at me for bailing on training. Keep me updated on Johnny, alright?" Isabel socks him in the shoulder again before darting off down the hall. Max watches her go, rubbing his arm.

Then he turns to the apartment door, going back inside.


	36. sweat it out

Johnny wakes up confused.

It takes a moment for him to figure out where he is. Everything's all out of focus, and he has to blink a couple times to get his eyes to work. He's in his room, on his bed. All of the sheets and blankets have been stripped off for some reason, and he frowns at the pile on the floor. Did he do that? Probably, he thinks hazily. He's super hot and sweaty right now.

"Hey," Ollie's voice sounds out of nowhere and he jumps a bit, startled. "You're finally up. You had us all super worried, bro," he adds, tone an equal mixture of relief and accusation.

"Uh." Johnny struggles to sit up, head swimming. "Sorry," he mumbles. He waits for the room to stop spinning before he dares to risk a look at Ollie. He's sitting on the floor by the bed, leaning against his dresser, absently flipping through an instruction booklet for one of Johnny's build kits.

Ollie gives him his best Disapproving Mom Face. "You got bit by a freakin' dog, Johnny. And you didn't tell anyone. Sorry's not gonna cut it." He stands up, crossing his arms. "Look, man, I know you're big on bein' self-reliant, but you gotta let people help ya sometimes. How'd ya feel if the situation was reversed and it was me or Stephen or RJ who was hurt?"

Johnny ducks his head, shame-faced. "Bad," he squeaks out, staring at the floor.

"Yeah. Well." Ollie sighs. "That's how we feel. And Max too," he adds. "Y'know he gets mad when he's worried?"

"What- Max?" He snaps his head back up with a frown. "He was here?"

"Uh, yeah?" Ollie's just staring at him. "Do ya not remember?"

"Uh." He's pulling a blank. "No?" He says, hesitantly.

"He came over with me after school and called his friend who called this weird doctor lady," Ollie tells him, patiently. "Ring any bells?"

Johnny thinks he remembers the doctor. His head still hurts and trying to recall stuff feels like wading through mud. He's just getting bits and pieces of memories, like- like someone touching the bite and it hurting. He reflexively looks down at the wound, surprised to see that it looks a lot better. What had that doctor lady done? He also gets the vague impression of- someone kissing his forehead? Johnny squints at nothing in particular, like he can somehow make the memory more clear. That doesn't seem right. Probably it was like, one of those fever hallucinations or something. "Kinda," he says, shaking his head when he realizes he's been spacing out for almost a minute.

"So." Ollie leans against the wall. There's a forced casualness to his tone that immediately makes Johnny suspicious. "You definitely don't remember telling Max you think he's pretty and you might be in love with him, then?"

He stares at his friend for a good long moment, incredulous. "I did not say that."

"I heard it with my own two ears."

Johnny goes pale. It feels like someone's just punched him in the gut, knocking all the breath out of him. He said that? He said  _ that?  _ To Max's face? "Oh my God," he whispers, pressing his hands to his head. "Oh my God. I- what- why-"

Ollie holds up a hand, interrupting his freakout. "Dude, chill. He just thought you were delirious."

"Well, I probably was, considerin' I was sayin' sappy stuff like that!" Johnny says back, very loudly. That's it. He can't face Max ever again. He's gotta go run away and live in the woods for the rest of his life, right now. "He's not- is he-" He swallows, eyeing Ollie nervously. "Is he still here?"

"Yeah," he says back, foiling Johnny's plans for an easy escape. "He's out in the living room with Stephen an' RJ. We've been takin' turns keeping an eye on you 'cuz you were out for like five hours." Ollie shoots him a little grin. "Y'want me to go get him?"

"No!" He yells automatically, feeling his face get hot. His entire body, actually. Oh, God, he's gonna light on fire again. "Absolutely not-" He cuts off as someone knocks on the door.

"Hey, Johnny?" Max calls, and he freezes, horrified. "You okay in there?"

"Um." His voice is just a strangled squeak. "Y-yeah. 'm good." He flaps his hands frantically at Ollie as he goes to open the door. 'Don't!" He mouths.

Ollie gives him a level look. "You can't avoid him forever?"

"I can too!" Johnny hisses back. Ollie just rolls his eyes and lets Max in.

"I'll be out in the living room," he tells them, and then he abandons him.

"Hey." Max gives him a warm smile and his heart does a somersault. "Nice to see you up and about." He crosses the room and sits down on the bed next to him, and he shies away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. God, he's gotta put on a shirt. Max shoots him a questioning look but doesn't comment on it. "You feeling any better?" He asks, after a few seconds to awkward silence.

Johnny has to clear his throat a couple of times to get his voice to work. "Um- yeah. Uh. A- a little." He's painfully aware that he's stammering. He's so flustered right now he can barely think straight.

"Good. I'm glad." Max smiles again, but it's not as big this time. "You really had me worried."

"Y'gonna yell at me too?" Johnny asks, on edge, and he snorts.

"I already did that earlier." He tips his head to the side, looking at him. "I think you've probably got the point by now." He sits up straight suddenly. "Oh, yeah. I just remembered. Dr. Zarei told me to give these to you." Max pulls a couple of tiny glass bottles out of his pocket and holds them out. Johnny takes them hesitantly, biting the inside of his cheek when their hands brush. "She says to drink half of one every day until the bite gets better."

Johnny holds one up to the light, squinting at it. The liquid inside is a deep purple. "Drinkin' weird goo is supposed t'make me feel better?"

"Hey, it worked when she put some on the bite." Max shrugs.

"Oh." He slowly lowers the bottle. "Well, thanks. I guess."

"Yeah." There's a long, tense pause. Johnny senses more than sees Max looking at him, 'cuz he's busy keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor, desperately avoiding any kind of eye contact. "So," Max says, eventually, and he looks up at him without meaning to. He leans in a bit and Johnny freezes, swallowing hard enough that it's probably audible. "You think I'm pretty?"

He tries to say something but all that comes out is a strangled squeak. He can't move. He's so hot right now that he's convinced he must be on fire. "Uh," Johnny finally manages. His eyes dart over to the open window and he's seriously considering jumping out of it right now just to get out of this conversation. "I-I didn't- I mean- I wasn't- um-" God, he can't do this.

"Woah, relax. I'm just messing with you." Max sits back, his own face slightly pink. "I know you weren't thinking straight 'cuz of the, y'know." He makes a vague gesture with his hands. "The fever. It was making you say some weird things."

Johnny wants to tell him that it wasn't just the fever talking, that he does think Max is pretty- that he thinks he's freakin'  _ beautiful _ \- but he stops himself just in time. "Yeah," he says, letting out a shaky laugh. "Sorry if it, um, weirded ya out."

Max shrugs a shoulder. "It's fine. It didn't bother me."

"Oh," Johnny says, weakly. Please, please don't bring up the other thing I said, he thinks fervently. He can't believe he told Max he was in love with him. He doesn't- he doesn't even know if that's true. He's got a crush, yeah, a really bad one, but- he doesn't really wanna think about it. It kinda scares him, how hard and fast he fell for Max. And he hasn't even noticed. Well, good, Johnny tells himself firmly. If he doesn't know he can't reject you.

Max looks like he's about to say something else when a sudden gust of cold air knifes through the room, blowing in from the window, and he shivers instead. Johnny expects him to lean into him and leech off his body heat, but he doesn't. It makes him feel kinda disappointed. "Guess we can probably close that now, huh," Max says, practically jumping off the bed. "It was- it was super hot in here earlier."

"'cuz o'me," Johnny says absently.

"Yeah." Max goes and shuts the window, then turns back to him with a crooked grin. "You're my walking furnace." He freezes, going beet red. "I mean- not mine, specifically," he says quickly, flustered. "I just- you know what I mean!"

Johnny just blinks, perplexed. "Well- it's not like anyone else beside ya leeches off me, so-"

"I guess." Max cuts him off hastily. He pulls out his phone and checks the time. "Oh man, it's past eight. I gotta go soon. I told my dad I'd be home by nine."

"No way, it's that late?" Johnny blurts out, glancing at the window. It's pitch black outside. How long had he been out? Ollie said it'd been hours, but he hadn't really registered that. "Um." He goes quiet for a moment, not quite looking at Max. "Y'guys see my dad at all?"

"Uh-" He hesitates, sounding awkward. "No."

Of course, Johnny thinks, bitterly. He doesn't know what he was expecting. He glances up at Max and clears his throat, ignoring the way he's looking at him. "Hey," he says, breaking the silence. "I just thought of somethin'."

"Yeah?" Max sits back down next to him and Johnny swallows again, suddenly feeling jittery.

"On Monday. How'd- why'd those dogs go right for me? How'd the- the Cousinhood know about Forge? That he's posessin' me, I mean." He looks at Max. "It's like they knew we were comin'."

His eyes go wide. "You think it was a trap?"

"Maybe." He shrugs, ignoring the sting from the bite as he moves. "How'd those creeps get past t'barrier, anyway?"

"I don't know," Max says slowly. "We haven't been able to figure that out." He bites his lip. "Iz said the Ghost Train got fixed, but- I don't think Dr. Zarei's working with the Cousinhood?"

Johnny doesn't understand most of what he just said, but he nods anyway. "Maybe there's like, a back door or somethin'," he offers.

"Maybe." Max sounds doubtful. "Could be a possibility." He shakes his head. "That still doesn't explain how they know about Forge or what they want with him, though." There's a beep from his phone, and he jumps a bit. "That's my dad," Max says, checking it. "I really gotta go now."

He makes to stand up and Johnny impulsively makes a grab for his hand, dropping it immediately when Max looks at him. "Uh-I just-" He stammers, flushing. "Um. Thanks. For comin' over an' callin' the doctor and all." He says that bit quietly, ducking his head.

"It wasn't all me," Max says back. "Isabel was here too. We were both worried."

"Oh," Johnny says, lamely. The bed shifts as Max gets to his feet, and he looks up to find him standing in front of him. Their eyes meet and he suddenly can't move, heart pounding in his ears.

"You can't keep doing this to me," Max tells him, softly, and something in his voice makes Johnny want to cry. "I mean it. If- if you're hurt or- or if you need help, you need to tell someone. Don't shut me out like the rest of the Club does."

Johnny can't speak for a long moment. "Okay," he says, finally. His voice cracks in the middle of the word.

Max gives him a strained smile. "Good." He bends down, going in for a hug, at the same time Johnny tries to stand up, and they both pitch over backwards onto the bed, unbalanced. Johnny lets out a winded oof as Max lands on top of him, pain flaring up from the wound in his side. "Oh, geez, I'm sorry-" He pulls back a bit and then freezes, staring down at him.

It's like that time out in the woods all over again, Johnny thinks dimly. Their faces are close enough that it'd be easy to kiss Max, and it's taking every single bit of his willpower to hold still. He just stares back, forgetting how to breathe-

Max leans in a bit and his brain goes haywire. What- what's even happening right now? "Wh- what- what are ya doin'?" He finally gasps out, voice so strangled it's barely audible. Max jerks back like he's just been burnt, scrambling off him and light speed, face bright red.

"Uh, I don't-" He ducks his head, sounding embarrassed. "I don't know. It's nothing. Sorry." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, staring down at the floor. "Sorry," he says again, mumbling.

Johnny sits up cautiously, willing his heart to slow down. He hisses a bit under his breath when the wound twinges, and Max's head shoots up in alarm. "It's fine," he says quickly before he can say anything. "Y'didn't hurt me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Y'said it's not done healin' yet, right? 'Course it's gonna still sting a bit." He puts a hand over the bite, gingerly. "Just gotta take it easy for a couple days, I guess."

"That means no getting into fights," Max tells him, sternly. "I'm serious. I'll- I'll come over here and ground you myself if you do."

"I'd like t'see ya try," Johnny shoots back with a laugh. That makes the bite hurt, and he grimaces. Okay. Bad idea.

Max doesn't have a comeback for that. "Okay, well-" He blusters, pointing at him, "I better not see you in school tomorrow. Stay home and rest, okay?"

Johnny lets out a loud huff. "Okay," he says, grudgingly. He doesn't like missing school.

"Good." Max crosses his arms, a satisfied smile on his face. "Oh, also-" He straightens up a bit. "Before I forget again. I was talking to Isaac over break and we're gonna try and find the Doorman this weekend. If you're feeling up to it by then, that is."

"I'm always up for anythin'." Bite or no bite, he's not missing out on his chance to make things right with the Doorman. "Y'know me."

"Yeah." Max's smile gets a little bit bigger. "I do." He looks at Johnny for a moment, then shakes his head. "Okay, seriously. I need to go. See you later." He darts out the door, then immediately pokes his head back into the room. "And take it easy!"

"Bye," Johnny calls after him as he disappears again. He hears the door to his apartment open and then close a few seconds later. He flops back onto his bed, biting back a yelp at the flare of pain. So much for taking it easy.

Stephen comes bounding into the room, closely followed by RJ and Ollie. "Man, you guys we're talkin' for forever!" He complains loudly. "I've been waitin' to see ya for ages."

"Sorry," Johnny mumbles, tearing his gaze away from the old glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on his ceiling to look at his friends.

"Nah, it's cool." Stephen shrugs a shoulder, carefully sitting down on the bed next to him. "Figured ya wanted some time alone with your boyfriend. Y'know he was waitin' here the whole time? He was playin' Monopoly with us. And dude, get this!" He points a thumb in RJ's direction. "He beat RJ! Nobody ever beats RJ."

They look vaguely annoyed at Stephen's comment, crossing over to the bed and shoving him out of the way so they can sit. They point down at Johnny, questioning look on their face.

"I'm fine," he says in response. He sits up again, unable to hold back a grimace. "Okay, well, better than I was. Sorry t'worry ya guys," he adds, mumbling a bit.

"It's cool," Ollie says. Johnny's pretty sure he's still kinda mad, and he can't blame him. "Hey, you want us to stay over tonight? Since it's pretty late already."

"Yeah." He smiles gratefully at his friends. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm SUPER excited to share the next chapter with you guys bc there's a t o n of plot stuff heading your way


	37. heat exhaustion

 "Okay," Johnny says. "Run this plan by me one more time." He's lying on his stomach on the floor of Max's room in-between Max and PJ, looking down at a map of Mayview.

"Alright, so- PJ said the Doorman's set up camp in these caves over, uhh." Max hovers his finger over the map for a few seconds before bringing it down on a section that's been circled in red marker. "Here." He squints at it. "I think?" He glances over at Johnny. "You ever been down there?"

He leans over a bit, studying the map and ignoring the way his face is heating up. "Yeah, a couple'a times. Me an' the boys used t'go explorin' there 'til that cave-in last year blocked it off. The whole place is supposed t'be off-limits now."

"Well-" Max frowns at the red circle. "If the Doorman there it must mean there's another way in." He props his chin up in his hand, looking at PJ. "You see any places us solid, non-intangible alive people could enter?"

"Um, no," PJ says back, nervously. "I wasn't really looking, since I can just...you know...go through walls and stuff? I'm really sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay," Max says quickly. "Don't freak out. It's fine. I'm sure we'll find an entrance, okay?" The ghost kid just nods, eyes huge. "The plans pretty simple, I guess." He turns back to the map. "Go to the caves, find the Doorman, and talk to him. Easy." He doesn't sound very convinced.

Johnny bumps him with his shoulder. "What're ya worryin' about now?"

"You said there was a cave-in, right? What if something like that happens again while we're in there?"

"It won't," Johnny tells him easily. "That was the only time somethin' like that's ever happened."

"You sure?" He still sounds dubious.

"Yeah." He shoots him a grin. "Trust me."

"Well, okay." Max sits up, reaching for his backpack and dragging it over to him. "If you say so. Let me just double check we got everything."

Johnny sits up too, peering over his shoulder as he rifles through the backpack. "What are ya, some kinda explorer?" He points at a flashlight stuffed inside the bag. "Can't ya see in the dark?"

"It's for you guys." Max elbows him in the ribs, on his non-bitten side. "Now back off. You're making me sweat."

"Sorry." He leans back.

Max upends the backpack, dumping everything inside on the ground. “Okay, so. Got the flashlight. And some rope,” he points to a tangle of it, ”in case we need to do any, I dunno, climbing. I’ve never been in a cave before.” He glances over at where his tool’s leaning against the bed. “And I’m bringing my bat.”

Johnny picks up a box that’d fallen out next to him, opening it and looking inside. It’s full of granola bars. “Y’bringin’ snacks too?”

“Maybe they’re for you, ‘cuz you’re always hungry all the time,” Max teases, grabbing the box out of his hand and stuffing it back into the bag. He piles everything else in as well and zips it shut. “Now maybe if Isaac would show up already we can get going.”

He makes a noncommittal noise in response, looking at the floor. Johnny’s not exactly thrilled about Isaac coming, even if he does have more of a reason since the Doorman’s his friend and all. He glances up to see Max frowning at him. “What?”

“Am I gonna have to keep you two from going at each other’s throats the whole time?”

He ducks his head back down, abashed. “No,” he mutters under his breath. “I’ll play nice.” For you, he thinks, but he doesn’t say it.

“Good.” Max gives him a crooked grin. “I mean, I know it goes against all your instincts and all-“

“Shut up!” Johnny says loudly, going to shove him. Max laughs and ducks away, scrambling to his feet.

“Hey, he says, suddenly serious. “How’s your side?”

“Fine,” Johnny says back, and Max raises an eyebrow. “No, I mean it. See?” He hikes his shirt up, just enough that the bite’s visible. He’d been forcing himself to drink that weird medicine that doctor lady had left, even though it tastes absolutely disgusting, ‘cuz otherwise his friends and Max would worry and get on his case. The bite looks a lot better - it’s barely even visible now - and it only hurts if he presses directly on it.

“Huh.” Max bends down a bit, squinting at it. Johnny feels himself flush, self-conscious again. Christ, now he’s thinking about how damn close he came to kissing Max last Monday, and his brain fries. He snaps back to reality when Max shakes his shoulder. “Dude, you’re spacing out on me again.”

“Uh, sorry.” He yanks his shirt back down and looks away quickly, face burning. He makes awkward eye contact with PJ, who’d been watching them in confusion. “Hey,” he says, addressing him, and his eyes get huge. “The hand comin’ with?” The freaky thing’s usually hanging around the kid, but Johnny hasn’t seen any trace of it so far today, and that’s honestly fine with him.

“Um, no.” He sounds even more nervous than before. “Lefty’s out doing business-“

“Business.” Max cuts in, incredulously. “He’s a freaking hand. What kinda business does he even have to do?”

PJ just shrugs. “He wouldn’t say. He made me promise not to do anything dangerous, but…” He looks at the two of them, expression equal parts hopeful and overawed. “I think I should be safe with you guys, right?”

Johnny sees Max swallow a bit. “Yeah,” he says, weakly. “We’ll protect you. Don’t worry. Not that- not that I think there’s gonna be anything to worry about,” he adds, quickly. “You didn’t see any nasty spirits or anything in those caves, right?”

“Uh-uh.” PJ shakes his head. “Just the Doorman. Us ghosts and spirits usually stay away from that place, so he was alone.”

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all,” Max comments dryly. “Why don’t you guys go down there?”

PJ goes silent for a long moment. “There’s something by the lake,” he says finally. “Something big. Something scary.” He’s speaking slowly, like he’s uncertain of his words. “At least that’s what Lefty says. I’ve never seen it myself.”

Max stiffens, eyes going wide. “Something by the lake,” he mutters, turning to look at Johnny. “Remember when we were down there and I passed out?”

“Yeah,” Johnny says back. “You thinkin’ there’s a connection?”

“Maybe.” He bites his lip. “It felt like...like the shadow spirit was trying to get out? Like there was something at the lake it needed to do.” He closes his eyes, presses the palm of his hand against his forehead. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.” He sounds miserable and scared and Johnny’d give the whole wide world right now to make him not feel that way.

“Well, y’know-“ He starts, lamely, ‘cuz it’s the only thing he can think to say right now. “If ya faint again I’ll carry ya.”

Max laughs a bit at that, and Johnny’s stomach does a little lurch. “Thanks,” he says, teasingly. “That makes me feel like I’m a damsel in distress and you’re my Prince Charming or something-“ He goes bright red and takes a step back at the same time Johnny freezes, heart rate speeding up. There’s an awkward moment of silence where they’re both trying and failing to stop staring at each other. Max looks like he’s about to say something else when his dad sticks his head into the room.

“Hey, kiddo,” he tells him. “Your other friend’s downstairs. I said he could go on up and he looked like he was faint in terror, so you should probably come get him.”

“Right,” Max says, faintly. He doesn’t move, and his dad looks at him and then at where Johnny’s still sitting on the floor, taking in both of their red faces and raising an eyebrow.

“Did I interrupt something-“

"No!" They both protest at the same time, practically shouting, and exchange a glance. Max turns away first, frowning.

"Look, I'm gonna go grab Isaac, okay?" He's not looking at Johnny. "Be right back."

"Uh-huh," he says back, weakly. Max practically runs out of the room, and PJ takes off after him. Max's dad stays in the doorway a little bit longer. He's got this knowing look on his face that makes Johnny want to die right then and there. Finally, he leaves too, and he's left alone with his stupid racing thoughts.

He's gotta stop reading into those kinda comments. Max doesn't mean half of what he says, he reminds himself firmly. It's just that he's so damn _sarcastic_ all the time that sometimes it's hard for Johnny to figure out when he's actually being genuine, but- he shakes his head, biting his lip. Besides, Max had told him to his face that he doesn't do crushes, right? And even if he did, that didn't- that doesn't mean he’d also like boys.

He doesn't have a chance.

"Quit gettin' your hopes up," Johnny mutters to himself. He scrambles to his feet, accidentally stepping on the map and tearing it a bit in the process. He's all restless and wired up right now. He needs to- to get out of here and go already, or go fight something, or- or-

"Hey, don't mess up my map," Max says suddenly from behind him and he jumps, just barely suppressing a scream. He whirls around, tearing up the paper even more. Max just sighs, crouching down and tugging at a corner. "Scoot, would ya?"

"Uh, sorry." He takes a quick, awkward shuffling step back. Isaac's standing behind Max, smirking, and Johnny scowls back at him, feeling his face start to heat up again.

Max holds the map up, staring at the giant hole in the middle. "So much for that." He folds it back neatly and then drops it on the floor, straightening up. "Guess I'll just have to rely on you guys to lead the way." He looks at Johnny and Isaac. "Who wants to be expedition leader?"

"Me," Johnny says automatically, and Max snorts.

"Figures." He shoves his shoulder, lightly. "Just don't get me lost."

"'m not gonna," he says back, affronted. "I never get lost."

"Can we just go already?" Isaac asks loudly. He's got his arms crossed, and there's tiny little sparks of static electricity coming off him.

"Yeah, we should." Max grabs his backpack from the floor, pausing to stick his bat in it before slinging it over his shoulders. "I don't want to still be down in those caves when it gets dark."

"Aw, y'scared of the dark?" Johnny teases, regretting it almost immediately. He's got a big shadow spirit stuck in his head. 'Course he's got good reason to not like the dark.

"Just pragmatic." Max smacks him on the upper arm. He doesn't seem bothered by the comment, and Johnny's relieved. "Nothing good comes from being in caves at night."

"I think y'watch too many horror movies-"

"Guys." Isaac grits out, interrupting.

"Sorry." Max gives him a guilty look before glancing around the room. "Hey, PJ, where'd you go? We're leaving now." 

"I'm right here, Mr. Max." PJ floats up from the floor in between them, face first, and all three of them jump. "Are you- are you sure about this?" He sounds nervous, like he's starting to second-guess himself. "I don't know if I can really remember the way."

"Yeah, I"m sure." Max gives the kid a fond little smile, and just seeing it makes Johnny's heart do a flip. He glances away, quickly, and ends up making direct eye contact with Isaac. They both glare at each other. "You got this," Max continues, oblivious to the tension. "I believe in you, okay? So let's get going."

"Um, okay." PJ gives him a shaky smile in return, taking a deep breath. "Follow me!" He spins around and flies out the window.

"PJ, wait-" Max starts to call after him, then stops himself. "Sometimes I think he forgets the rest of us have legs," he grumbles, looking out the window. "He's waiting outside. Let's get down there." He turns around, hustling Isaac and Johnny out the door. 

"Okay, so," Max tells them when they're all on the stairs, "I told my dad we were gonna go hang out by the lake, but I didn't tell him anything about the caves, so nobody mention that, okay?" He gives them a stern look. "I don't want him worrying."

"'m not sayin' anythin'-" Johnny starts.

"Yeah, me neither," Isaac cuts in. He squeezes past him and Max and jumps the last three steps, a sudden wind kicking up. "I just told my parents I was going to a friend’s house."

I didn't ask my dad nothin' 'cuz he wasn't home, Johnny thinks sourly, stepping off the stairs. It's not like he's asked permission to do anything for the past couple years, anyway.

"Cool." Max stops on the last step and pats Isaac on the shoulder. Seeing that makes something hot and mean flare up in his stomach, and he turns away. "We're gonna find the Doorman, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying," Isaac shoots back, his expression at odds with his words. Johnny wants to say something mocking, but he'd promised Max he'd behave, so he doesn't. He just shoulders his way past him instead, entering the store. Max's dad is at the counter ringing someone up, and he glances back at them when he's done.

"Hey, you guys be careful down by the lake, okay?" He shuts the register with a frown. "They're saying the ice is pretty thin this year. I don't want anyone falling in."

Max shoots Johnny a quick look before replying. He's probably thinking about the last time they were at the lake, he realizes. The ice had been pretty thick then, enough to support their weight. Had something changed? "We will," Max says, turning back to his dad. "We're not gonna go out on the ice anyway."

"Oh- good." Max's dad seems surprised. "What're you guys planning on doing down there, then?"

"Just, y'know-" He makes a vague hand gesture. "Um. Stuff?"

"Smooth," Johnny mutters, and Max elbows him in the ribs.

"Hey, where's Zoey?" Max asks quickly, clearly trying to change the subject.

"She's not feeling good, so I'm having her take a nap." He points a stern finger at all of them. "It's cold out there, and I don't want any of you getting sick either, so make sure you're dressed for the weather, okay?" He says this with a pointed look at Johnny.

"Uh." He's suddenly acutely aware that he's not wearing a winter jacket like Max and Isaac are. He doesn't need one, and he'd probably boil to death if he tried to wear one, but how're you supposed to explain that to a concerned adult? "I'm fine? I don't really get cold, so..." He trails off, shifting awkwardly.

"Hm." He looks unconvinced, just like all the other times they've had this conversation. He straightens up, takes a step away from the counter. "Hey, Max. Why don't you and Isaac here go outside for a bit, okay? I want to talk to Johnny."

"Why-" Max shuts up when his dad gives him a look. "Um. Okay?" He starts to move away, and Johnny makes a desperate grab for his arm, yanking him back.

"Don't leave me here!" He hisses, getting increasingly freaked out. What the hell would Max's dad want to talk about with him, anyway? Does he- oh, God. He knows about the crush, doesn't he? That's gotta be it.

Max just shrugs, looking apologetic. "You're not in trouble, okay? It'll be fine." He gently unpeels Johnny's fingers from his coat sleeve, holding onto his hand just long enough that his brain starts turning to mush. "My dad doesn't bite," he adds, jokingly, letting go. He points at the front doors. "We'll just be right outside, alright?"

"Yeah," Johnny says, voice strangled. He watches the two of them go before reluctantly turning to face Max's dad. He's definitely not comfortable with this. Most grown-ups either ignore him or yell at him, so he doesn't really have a lot of experience interacting with them. He tries to say something but the words stick in his throat, so he just crosses his arms, hunching his shoulders.

"It's true," Max's dad starts, giving him the same little crooked smile Max has. "I don't bite." Johnny doesn't respond to that. He's too busy staring at all the little cracks in the tiled floor. There's a long, uncomfortable silence, broken by Max's dad clearing his throat. "So." He sounds just as awkward as Johnny feels. "I'm not- I won't pry, okay? I just..." He lets out a loud sigh, and Johnny glances up for a quick moment. He looks worried. Worried about- what? Him? The thought of it makes him restless, itching to get away from this situation.

"I just want to say," Max's dad continues, leaning against the counter and rubbing the back of his neck. "If you ever need a place to stay or a safe space or- anything, really- this house is open to you, okay?" He gives him another small smile. Johnny just stares at him. He definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"Um." He looks away again, suddenly feeling like he wants to cry. He forces the feeling back down, but it still takes a few seconds for his throat to stop burning so he can speak. "...thanks?" He almost asks why, but that's a stupid question. The answer's obvious. It's 'cuz Max's dad actually cares, that's why.

"Don't mention it. Literally don't, because Max is probably gonna get all embarrassed about it" He straightens up, putting his hands on his hips, grinning again. "He wants people to think he's cool."

"He is cool," Johnny blurts out before he can stop himself. He ducks his head, ears burning. Might as well just tell him he's got a huge crush on his son at this rate, even though he's probably figured it out by now.

"Yeah, he is," Max's dad agrees, giving him an amused look that makes him blush even harder. "Even if sometimes he thinks he's too cool for me." His voice gets a little wistful and he shakes his head. "That's everything I wanted to say- oh! Actually, hold that thought." He mimes sticking a pin in something. "One more thing. Do you need a coat? Because I can get you one-"

"No, I'm good," Johnny cuts in hastily. "Honest."

Max's dad eyes him for a bit before sighing. "All right. I'll let you go now. You guys have fun, okay?"

"Okay," Johnny squeaks back, booking it out of the store as fast as he can go. Thank _God_ Max's dad didn't ask him any questions about his very, very obvious crush, 'cuz he's pretty sure he would've lit on fire right there and then. Max and Isaac are further down the sidewalk, talking to PJ, and he skids to a stop in front of them, trying to get his heart rate under control.

"Wow." Max appraises him, eyebrow raised. "What did my dad say to you? You look freaked."

"Um." He shoots a quick glance at Isaac. "It's- tell ya later, okay?"

"Okay?" He sounds confused, but he doesn't push it. He hikes his backpack up a bit and turns to PJ. "You ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Awesome. Just, uh, go a little slower this time so we can keep up with you, alright?" Max gives him a grin. PJ nods solemnly, then turns around and flies off. The rest of them follow after him.

Most of the walk is tense and silent. Isaac keeps glaring at him, and he keeps glaring back, and Max is doing his best to ignore the situation. Johnny's kinda starting to wish he hadn't come. He's never spent this much time with Isaac before, except for the one or two times they'd ended up on patrol together, and they hadn't gotten along then either. The air's getting increasingly staticky and hot, and Johnny can feel the hair on his arms stand up.

"Okay, that's it!" Max says loudly about fifteen awkward minutes later. He comes to a sudden stop and spins around, putting his hands on his hips and frowning at them. There's a sharp crackle of electricity as Isaac bumps against him.  Max jerks away with a tiny yelp.

"Sorry," Isaac mumbles, looking away.

"It's cool." Max eyes him, rubbing at his arm. "It was an accident."

"Why're we stoppin'?" Johnny cuts in, stamping down the urge to punch Isaac for hurting Max.

"Because you two are driving me nuts!" Max exclaims in exasperation. He gestures at them aggressively. "Seriously, what is your guys's problem? Actually, you know what?" He holds up a hand as Johnny and Isaac both start trying to talk at the same time. "You guys talk it out. Me and PJ gotta go, uh, check on something." He reaches up and grabs the kid's hand and PJ squeaks, startled.

"We do?" He blinks down at Max, looking confused.

"Yeah, don't you remember?"

"Um-"

"Anyway," Max continues, interrupting him, "you two know how to get down to the caves, right? We'll meet you there." He veers off the sidewalk towards a clump of trees, dragging PJ with him.

"You don't gotta check on nothin' and y'know it!" Johnny yells after him. Max just waves vaguely at him with his free hand without turning around before disappearing into the trees, leaving him alone with Isaac. Great. He glowers at him for a moment, then stuffs his hands in his pockets and stalks down the sidewalk. He hears snow crunching behind him as Isaac moves to catch up.

They don't say anything to each other for a good few minutes. Johnny's getting increasingly agitated. This was a stupid idea. What was he gonna say to the Doorman if he saw him, anyway? Sorry for setting you on fire and burning down your house 'cuz I thought you kidnapped me? How do you even apologize for that?

The air's even more staticky now, thick and heavy. A sudden jolt of electricity sparks up his arm, just enough to hurt. He doesn't know if it was intentional or not, but it's enough to make him snap. Johnny whirls around with a curse, glaring at Isaac. "What's yer deal?" He demands, pulling his hands out of his pockets and balling them into fists.

"My deal?" Isaac throws his hands up. "What's _your_ deal?"

"Whaddya-"

"You hurt my friend!" Isaac shouts at him, a storm cloud swirling into existence above his head. "You destroyed my favorite place in the world! You tried to beat me up for no reason!"

"I didn't- those were accidents!" Johnny snaps back, heating up. Okay, maybe not that last bit, but-

"Yeah, right." He snorts loudly, a peal of thunder issuing from the storm cloud. "You love fighting. That's all you're good at, isn't it?" He eyes him disdainfully, crossing his arms. "Admit it. You just like hurting people."

Johnny jerks back, feeling like he's just been slapped. His temperature plummets, instantly, and he's cold for the first time in months. "I don't-" He starts weakly, the words feeling like lead in his mouth. Yeah, he likes fighting, but- he doesn't do it 'cuz he likes _hurting_ people. He just- he just wants the attention it gets him. He doesn't know how else to get people to notice him.

You just like hurting people.

The words ring in his ears, making him feel hollow and sick. He hurt the Doorman. He hurt Isaac. He hurt Jeff, and Max, and lots of other people. He hurt his little sister, because no matter what everyone said, he knew that fire was his fault.

He stares at the ground, throat burning, trying not to cry. Isaac's right. He should just admit it. "You're-" He cuts off, struggling to speak. "I'm- you're right." He takes a deep breath, looking at him. "And- I'm sorry. For hurting the Doorman. And you. And- and everyone else."

Isaac stares at him for a long minute, the storm cloud slowly dissolving. "I wasn't expecting you to actually apologize." He sounds confused.

Johnny just shrugs, kicking at a pile of snow on the ground. It melts almost instantly. He doesn't really know what else to say. Isaac's still looking at him, and he hunches his shoulders a bit, feeling unsettled. "What?" It comes out more aggressive than intended, and he winces internally.

"It's nothing." He glances away, finally. "I'm just thinking I'm starting to see what Max sees in you."

"Wha-" He chokes on the word, face going red. He clears his throat, trying again. "What's that supposed t'mean?"

"Well-" Isaac shrugs, looking awkward. "I just couldn't figure out why he's always hanging out with you. I was, um..." He rubs his arm, electricity trailing from his fingertips. "Kinda jealous, I guess? Not in the way you're thinking!" He adds quickly before Johnny can say anything. "But- you know you're not the only one who likes him, right?"

Johnny just blinks at him. "Y'mean like-"

"Yeah."

"Oh." He feels jealousy settle into his stomach, hot and fast, like he's just taken a sucker punch to the gut. It's _stupid_ \- it's not like he's got any claim on Max. Other people are allowed to have a crush on him. He knows that, but it doesn't make him feel any less miserable. "You- how do ya know that?" He switches back to blustering, hoping it's not obvious how bothered he is. How many people even know about his dumb crush, anyway?

"Wouldn't you like to know," Isaac snarks back, and Johnny glares at him. He bites his cheek, trying to keep his temperature- and anger- in check.

"Fine. Let's just go." He spins around, taking big strides down the sidewalk. Isaac races to catch up, doing his best to try and edge in front of him. Johnny refuses to let him gain any ground, and they're both flat-out running by the time they get down to the lake. Max is already there waiting for them, keeping a respectful distance from the ice. PJ's hovering just over his shoulder.

Max takes in their breakneck pace. "Woah, who's house is on fire?" He calls, then grimaces. "Wow, bad choice of words. Sorry."

Johnny skids to a stop in front of him, panting. "We were just catchin' up with ya."

"Mhm." He looks between him and Isaac, who's standing a few feet away with his arms crossed. "You two talk stuff out?"

"Uh..." Johnny glances over at Isaac. He just shrugs vaguely "Kinda?" He tells Max, hesitantly. They're not friends, and they probably won't ever be, but- things feel a little less tense between them now.

Max sighs, putting his hands on his hips. "Good enough, I guess." He turns around, surveying the lake. "Where are these caves at, anyway?"

"Over there." Isaac cuts in before Johnny can say anything, pointing at a spot further down the shore by the bridge. Johnny briefly considers glaring at him but decides against it. He doesn't have the energy for that right now. "I've never actually been inside them, though."

"I have." He steps forward, shooting Isaac a sharp, smug grin. He rolls his eyes in response but doesn't say anything. "Just follow me."

They pick their way down to the lake. There's a hiking path that goes along the shore, past the caves, but it's closed off for the season. Johnny hops the chained up gate with a big sign on it that says DO NOT ENTER easily, turning back to face the others. 

"Y'want-" He starts, breaking off as a sudden gust of wind slaps him in the face. Isaac lands next to him, snow kicking up around him. "Showoff," Johnny mutters under his breath.

"You're just jealous," Isaac says back.

"Am not," he retorts, even though he kinda is. Weather powers would be so much cooler- and less scary- to have than fire powers. "Y'want a hand?" He asks Max through the bars of the gate, pointedly ignoring Isaac.

"I got it." Max climbs over the gate and pauses for a second before stepping off, looking down at Johnny. "I can't believe you have me breaking and entering."

"We didn't break anythin'," Johnny points out. "So it's just enterin'."

Max laughs at that, dropping to the ground. "Nice loophole."

Johnny doesn't have a response, 'cuz he can feel himself getting all flustered again. He waits for PJ to join them before turning around and starting down the trail. It's covered in snow and ice, and for most people, it'd be slippery. Not for him, though, 'cuz everything just melts underfoot.  He can hear Isaac and Max talking about something behind him, and he bites his tongue, trying to stamp down the jealousy that's creeping back into his stomach.

The trail splits off in two directions and he heads right, closer to the lake. The ground gets progressively rockier, the trail taking on an incline. "Here," he says a couple minutes later, stopping in front of a jumble of rocks set into the hill, crisscrossed with wooden boards and STAY OUT signs. There's an entrance to the caves right behind them.

Max pauses next to him, staring at the rocks with a frown. "I thought you said it was blocked off?"

"It is- oh." His eyes land on a spot where the rocks and boards have been cleared away, revealing the entrance. "It was last time we were here," he finishes lamely. They all stare at the hole in silence for a moment. It's too dark inside for Johnny to make anything out.

"You think someone's been here recently?" Isaac takes a step towards the entrance, peering in.

"Maybe someone's in there right now," PJ says nervously, latching onto Max. "Like- like teenagers!"

"PJ, I've told you, there's nothing scary about-"

"It's probably nothin'," Johnny interrupts loudly. "Let's just go in already." He steps around Max and squeezes through the cleared entryway. It's pitch black inside- which is weird, 'cuz he didn't remember it being this dark all the other times he was here. "Y'guys comin' or what?"

"Maybe if you'd get out of the way," Max says, putting a hand on the small of his back and pushing him forward. Johnny stumbles over something in the dark, feeling his face heat up. He can vaguely make out the outlines of Max and Isaac standing next to him. He can't see PJ at all.

"Well, now what?" Isaac asks, voice echoing around the cave.

"Hold on a sec." There's a rustling noise and then something bumps against Johnny's hand. "That's the flashlight." Max nudges him with it again. "'Cuz you guys can't see in the dark like I can."

Johnny takes the flashlight from him and switches it on, careful to aim it away from where he thinks Max is. The beam illuminates most of the small cavern they're in, but shadows still gather in the corners. "That too bright for ya?"

"As long as you're not shining it right in my eyes it's fine," Max says dryly. He puts his backpack back on, looking over his shoulder. "PJ, you ready?"

"I don't know if I can do this, Mr. Max." The ghost kid's voice floats in from outside. "What if I mess up and get us all lost?"

Max leans out the cave entrance. "You got this, okay? I believe in you."

There's a long silence, and Max glances back at him and Isaac, frowning. He looks like he's about to say something else when PJ comes floating in, phasing right through the rocks. "I got this," he says quietly, and then a bit more loudly, "I got this!"

"That's the spirit." Max shoots him a grin.

"He's a ghost, though," Isaac points out.

"You- it's just an expression!" He exclaims in exasperation, stepping away from the entrance, and Isaac laughs.

"I'm just messing with you."

Max rolls his eyes, turning back to PJ. "Okay, let's get this show on the road. Lead the way."

"Um, over there." He points at a corner of the cave, and Johnny shines the flashlight on it. There's a tunnel there, leading further underground. "That's the way I went last time. But-"

"Then that's the way we're goin'," Johnny breaks it, starting towards it. "Just lemme know if I take a wrong turn."

"Um. Okay?" 

The tunnel's narrow enough that they have to walk single file. Johnny keeps quiet, listening to Max and Isaac talk and thinking about what he's gonna say to the Doorman when they see him.

"I think someone else was in here," Isaac says.

"Yeah, maybe." Max sounds thoughtful. "But doing what?"

"I dunno, having a party? People used to do it a lot back when this place was a popular hangout."

"Wouldn't there be trash and stuff in here, though?"

"Maybe they're environmentally conscious, Max," Isaac says sarcastically. "Or-" He pauses for a moment. "Maybe somebody else is looking for the Doorman too." He says that last bit so quietly that Johnny barely hears it.

"This Doorman guy's really popular, huh," he says, glancing behind him. "Seems like everyone wants t'meet him." Forge included, he thinks. That's what got him into this mess. "Y'ever think maybe he's up to something?"

"No!" Isaac sounds scandalized. "He's my friend! He's not a bad guy-"

"'m not sayin' he is-"

"Guys, cut it out!" Max breaks in loudly. "Can you save your fighting for outside, please? This place is making uncomfortable enough already."

"What, are you claustrophobic?" Isaac asks.

"I prefer to think of it as having a healthy respect for the environment," comes the dry reply.

Johnny snorts at that. "I don't get how y'can be so cool with some dangerous stuff and so nervous about others," he teases. The tunnel comes to a sudden fork and he stops, swinging the beam of the flashlight back and forth between the two of them. Someone bumps against him - judging by the static shock he just got, it's Isaac- and he stumbles forward. "Watch it," Johnny mutters, before turning around to look at PJ. "Which way now, kid?"

"Um-" PJ closes his eyes, pressing his index fingers to his temples. "That way." He opens his eyes and points to the left.

"Cool." Johnny squeezes himself into the leftmost section of the tunnel. It's a lot narrower now, and he barely fits. He doesn't think he's ever been this far inside the caves before- he and his boys usually just hung out in the first cavern.

"This would be so much easier if we were ghosts," he hears Max grumble from behind. "What am I gonna tell my dad if I get stuck down here?"

"Maybe nothing, 'cuz you'll die and then you'll be a ghost?" Isaac suggests, and there's the sound of skin being slapped. "Hey, you're the one who brought it up."

"I don't think yer gonna have t'worry about gettin' stuck considerin' how small you are," Johnny says, turning sideways so he can fit through a particularly tight bit. "Aw, hell, how long does this thing go on for?" Maybe Max's got the right idea, being claustrophobic.

The tunnel opens up unexpectedly on the other side, and he pitches forward, nearly losing his balance. Behind him, either Isaac or Max trips, and they all go down. "Thanks, guys," Johnny mutters, disentangling himself from the pile, getting zapped several times in the process.

They're standing in a vast cavern, much bigger than he would've expected. It's illuminated by candles set along the floor as far as he can see, the light bouncing off what he thinks are crystals studding the length of the walls. He does a slow 360, taking the whole place in. Has this always been here?

"Wow," Max breathes, standing next to him. Isaac makes a wordless sound that probably means the same thing.

"Over there." PJ points towards the center of the cavern. There's a shaft of sunlight falling down from a hole somewhere in the impossibly tall roof, and Johnny can vaguely make out figures standing in it. "That's where I talked to the Doorman last time."

Isaac takes off running without saying anything, and Johnny exchanges a glance with Max before they follow after him. The figures get clearer as they approach. One of 'em's tall and spindly, so that's probably the Doorman. The other's even taller, the air around them shimmering. Something about looking at them makes his eyes hurt, so he focuses on the Doorman instead.

"Y'sure this isn't some sorta trap or anythin'?" He mutters to Max, suddenly feeling on edge. The Doorman's connected to Forge, and no way in hell does he trust Forge.

"Yeah." Max pauses, frowning. "Well, pretty sure anyway. Isaac's friends with the Doorman, so..."

Johnny just makes a noncommittal noise in return. They step into the beam of light just in time to see Isaac tackle the Doorman into a hug, nearly bowling him over with the force of it. "Oh my God," he says, and it sounds like he's about to cry. "I was- I was worried. You just- you disappeared. You _left_ me." Isaac pulls back, and a sudden wind kicks up around their feet. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I do apologize, Young Master Isaac." The Doorman's voice sounds different than Johnny remembers. More- raspy? "I was, unfortunately, injured, and I needed time and a safe space to recuperate." He turns slightly, facing them for the first time, and Johnny feels his heart drop into his stomach.

The Doorman's face is melted off.

Not all of it, not entirely, but a good portion of it is now blackened, twisted slag. The keyhole is misshapen, the metal surface dull. Johnny takes a step backward, feeling sick.

He did that. He- he _mutilated_ someone. Isaac's words from earlier ring in his ears, unbidden.

You just like hurting people.

He can't breathe. He can't- he-

"Easy," Max murmurs, touching his hand gently. Johnny desperately wants to grab onto it, make the shaking stop-

The Doorman takes a step forward and he flinches, waiting for an accusation. He deserves it. Hell, he should take a beating, to match what he did. A hand falls on his shoulder and he starts, looking up into the blackness of the twisted keyhole. "Hello," the Doorman says. "I think we perhaps got off on the wrong foot last time we met."

"I-" Johnny squeaks out, voice strangled. He doesn't sound angry, and that doesn't make any sense. Isaac glaring at him in accusation does, though, and he's weirdly grateful for it. "You- aren't ya mad at me?" He blurts out, pulling away.

"Why would I be?" The Doorman straightens up, tipping his twisted face to the side.

"I- I-" God, he really is pathetic. Where's the apology he came here to deliver? "I hurt you-"

"I harbor no ill feelings on that matter," The Doorman interrupts. "You were a frightened child, lashing out with powers you did not yet understand. It was an accident. One, perhaps, that I could have done more to prevent."

Johnny stares down at the floor, throat tight. Now he wants to cry. Maybe it was an accident, but the result's still the same. He hurt someone.

With fire.

Again.

"I'm sorry," he says, voice so small it barely exists.

The Doorman bends down again, placing a hand on each shoulder. "I accept your apology," he says, tone somber. "Now, I think you should consider forgiving yourself." There's one bright spot left on his face, and Johnny looks at his reflection in it. A scared kid looks back at him. Is that how the Doorman sees him? It's not like he's wrong.

"I'll try."

"Good." The Doorman rises to his full height and turns to the other figure that had been standing by quietly, drooping into a deep bow. "And now I would like to introduce you all to my Master. She has been waiting for you."

Johnny turns as well and finds himself staring up at the strangest spirit he's ever seen. She's tall- taller than Forge even. Her skin's an iridescent purple, shimmering in the shifting candlelight, and there are wings sprouting from her back and from all of her wrists and elbows. She's got four arms, and for some reason, that's weirder to him than the fact that that the spirit has a lion's head, the mane streaked with threads of gold. She has horns like a deer, and they're so shiny they're hard to look at.

And she has eyes, everywhere. They're running down her arms, her legs, along her ribcage. They're on the back of her hands and the middle of her forehead, and they're all looking at him. He swallows, fighting the sudden urge to turn around and flee. He just freezes instead, feeling trapped by the weight of the gaze of dozens of eyes.

The spirit takes a step forward, folding her wings up neatly, and dips her head. "Hello, little ones," she says, her voice reverberating in the air like the fading echo of a bell. "I am so very pleased to finally meet you. I am Ariel, the Golden One."

None of them speak for a long moment. "You mean like the Little Mermaid?" Max quips weakly after a while, and she laughs.

"Water is part of my domain, yes, so perhaps there is a connection." She gazes behind them, and Johnny looks over his shoulder to see PJ hovering behind Max, eyes huge. "My little wispling," Ariel says, lion's mouth splitting into a huge, toothy smile that makes him shudder. "You have been very brave. Thank you for leading them to me."

"Oh, um, n-no problem?" PJ squeaks out, sinking further down behind Max.

"Sir Doorman." She turns to the other spirit. Johnny pointedly avoids looking at him, 'cuz thinking about his melted face makes his stomach churn like he's gonna throw up. "Do you remember our conversation, my friend?"

"Of course, Master." The Doorman lays a hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Young Master Isaac, I think we are overdue for a talk. In private, perhaps?" He adds, steering him away from the rest of the group.

"Okay?" Isaac sounds confused, glancing over at them. Johnny catches his eye and shrugs, feeling just as lost. This is getting to be too much for him. He's talking to a- a freaking angel or something right now, for God's sake.

They watch Isaac and the Doorman step out of the shaft of sunlight and disappear into the shadows of the cave. "This better not be a setup or anything," Max blusters, crossing his arms. "'Cuz me and Johnny are like, trained spirit fighters and- and PJ here has water powers and I know cats hate getting wet." He twists around to look at PJ. "Or at least he would if he'd actually brought his tool with," he mumbles.

"Sorry, Mr. Max," PJ says apologetically, halfway through the floor by now. "I forgot."

"No, it's-" Max sighs. "It's fine."

Ariel laughs again, and the sound of it makes Johnny's bones hurt. "I mean you no harm, little ones." She sounds amused. "I merely wish to talk."

"About what?" Johnny challenges, staring her in the eye. Eyes? "How d'ya even know about us?"

She crouches down so she's roughly their height. "I have met you before, little spitfire." She touches the tip of one clawed finger to his forehead. "You are the one Sir Forge has chosen as his host, are you not?"

"Not like I had a lotta choice in the matter," he mutters, pulling away. Ariel frowns at him. He thinks, anyway. It's kinda hard to tell with the whole cat head thing going on. "Any- anyway," he continues, taking a step backwards, "I don't remember seein' ya in that house."

"I was not there in person, dear one." Ariel rises back up, the wings on her back flexing and unfurling slowly. "But I saw you, nonetheless. I did speak with Sir Forge, after all." She tilts her massive head to the side, the pupils of all her eyes slitted. "I was quite concerned when he lost control over you, his host."

"I- quit talkin' about me like I'm some kinda object!" Johnny spits at her, getting mad to cover up how overwhelmed he's feeling. Max is still standing next to him, looking perplexed. PJ's disappeared- he's probably sunk all the way through the floor.

"I mean it as a compliment, little spitfire." She grins down at him, teeth long and sharp and glistening. "Sir Forge is quite a formidable soldier, know you this? He came to this townlet to pledge his allegiance to me. Of course, even the most carefully crafted plans can go awry, and now he fumes, trapped and imprisoned. But..." Ariel trails off, studying him with all of her eyes. "Perhaps it is not so bad when his host is possessed of such impressive mental strength as you."

"I think she's saying you're really smart," Max whispers in his ear.

"No I'm not," Johnny says back automatically.

Max frowns at him, looking upset for some reason. "Yeah, you are- woah!" He cuts off, backing away hastily as Ariel bends down to him.

"Little one." Her voice is solemn. "Do you fear the eye?"

"Uh," he starts, pressing closer to Johnny, "like...yours, or...?"

"The one who watches. The one who sees." Ariel's own eyes are wide, unblinking. "The one whose host you are."

"Oh." Max goes quiet. "How do you-"

"He revealed himself to the Doorman," she says simply. "An act of foolish bravado. He means to intimidate me, but I am not frightened of broken gods." Her wings snap out as she speaks, every single one of them, turning her into something terrible. "I am here to win the war." Ariel stands up and throws her head back, letting out a roar that echoes around the cavern. Johnny winces and covers his ears, but the sound goes right through him, makes him feel like he's going to be shaken apart-

The roar dies and the candles in the distance snuff out one by one. Johnny half expects the sunlight to disappear as well, but it doesn't, and he cautiously lowers his hands. Max has his own pressed to his head, pained expression on his face. "Y'okay?" Johnny asks, alarmed.

"It's the shadow spirit." Max grits out. "It's doing something-"

"He heard me." Ariel's voice is deep and guttural. Like a predator, Johnny thinks, and he can't stop the shiver that creeps up his spine. She closes her eyes, and when she speaks again, she's back to normal. "How difficult it must be for you to bear the presence of Moros, little one."

Max laughs at that, weakly. "Moros? Is he like, really sad or something?" He sucks in a sudden sharp breath, doubling over. "Okay, guess he didn't like that joke."

"He likes very little." Ariel puts a hand under Max's chin, pulling him back up. Johnny fights back the urge to shove her away, 'cuz there's no way that would end well. "Take my blessing, little one," she says, and turns her head all the way around like an owl. Johnny wrinkles his nose and Max makes a grossed out noise. Ariel lets go of him, using two of her hands to part the fur of her mane.

There's another face there. It's human, sad and pale, crying golden tears. Johnny takes a step back, freaked out. "Oh my God," Max says, following suit. "This is exactly like Harry Potter."

"I will not hurt you." The words come from the lion's mouth. "This is my boon." She bends down again before they can get too far away and plants a kiss on Max's forehead. He goes limp immediately, toppling over backwards.

"Woah!" Johnny lunges forward, making a grab for him. He catches him awkwardly, and Max's momentum sends him to the floor as well. "What did y'do to him?" He yells at Ariel, knees smarting from their impact on the cold stone floor.

"I returned Moros to his slumber." She releases her hold on her mane, and the fur falls to cover the second face. Her head rotates back around, the sight of it making him kinda queasy. "If he were to awaken fully and take possession of your friend, it would be disastrous. Now." Ariel steps forward and Johnny instinctively tries to scramble away. He's hindered by Max's dead weight, so the only thing he accomplishes is falling on his butt, Max in his lap. "I would like to speak with you, Sir Forge."

Something hot and sharp knifes through his head and he screws his eyes shut, grimacing. "No ya don't," he mutters, pushing back against the feeling of something - someone- else trying to creep into his skull. He glares up at Ariel. "I want answers first. Y'said something' about a war an' Forge keeps bringin' the same thing up, so what gives? What's gonna happen?"

Ariel looks away and he blinks, surprised. "It is not for mortals to understand. Especially not children." She sounds almost sad. "But I would like to extend my apologies in advance."

"Wh- for what?"

"All wars have casualties," Ariel says, but Johnny can barely hear her over the roaring in his ears. His head hurts so bad, like Forge is trying to claw his way out. He tries to fight it, tries to stop him, but the spirit's too strong, and everything goes black-

-he's still sitting on the floor of the cave when he comes back to himself. Johnny shakes his head, feeling woozy. He could've been out for a couple of seconds or for hours- he can't tell. He takes a quick glance down at Max. He's still slumped against his shoulder, eyes closed. He's breathing, though, so that's a good sign.

"Welcome back, little spitfire." He jerks his head up sharply at the sound of Ariel's voice. She's standing a bit off to his left, wings folded and both pairs of hands clasped behind her back.

"Y'guys have a nice lil' chat?" Johnny asks bitterly, glaring at her. The way Forge had been able to take over his body so easily terrifies him, makes him feel small and helpless, and he hates it. He wants to lash out, wants to scream, but he can't, because he's just a kid and he's _nothing_ compared to these spirits. They could crush him and Max to dust without even trying.

"It was informative, yes." She regards him thoughtfully. "You care for your friend very deeply, do you not? Sir Forge said he could not get you to let go."

Johnny feels his face get hot and he glances away, embarrassed. Great, now even the freaking cat angel spirit knows about this dumb crush. "Well, yeah, but- but I'd do the same for any of my friends."

"I see." Ariel sounds amused, like she doesn't believe him, and his blush gets even deeper.

Johnny's trying to think of some kind of retort for that when Max stirs. He sits up a bit, blinking blearily. "What just happened?"

"She said she put t'shadow spirit back t'sleep," Johnny tells him.

"Oh." He sinks back down, leaning his head against Johnny's shoulder. "That's good, I guess." He sounds exhausted, words slurred. "Where's Issac?"

"Uh." He shoots a glance in the direction Isaac and the Doorman had disappeared off to. "I dunno? I dunno where PJ is either. I mean, they're probably fine," he adds hastily, not wanting to worry Max. "I can go find 'em-"

"Can you wait for a bit first?" Max interrupts. "It's just- I'm really cold right now." He mumbles that last bit, almost sheepishly.

"Oh. Yeah." Johnny can feel him shivering, and he wonders if it's because the cave is cold or if it's because of what Ariel did. She's still standing there, watching them. 

"Where'd PJ an' Isaac go?" He challenges, wrapping his arms tighter around Max.

Ariel lifts a hand. "Your little wispling is right here," she says, and PJ comes rising out of the ground like he's connected to her by a string. "As for the weather medium, I would wager he will be along shortly. He and Sir Doorman had much to catch up on."

"Mr. Max, are you okay?" PJ squeaks out, hovering over him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to abandon you, but it was like I got super heavy for no reason, and- and I couldn't keep floating-" He cuts himself off, looking scared. "I thought I was going to sink forever."

Johnny casts a suspicious look at Ariel, 'cuz he's pretty sure she had something to do with that. She just blinks back at him, slowly, like a lazy cat. He swallows and turns away quickly, unable to bear the weight of all those eyes.

"Hey, it's fine." Max sits up, bumping his head into Johnny's in the process. "Dude, PJ, seriously. You did a good job."

"R-really?"

"Yeah." He gives PJ one of those soft smiles that always make Johnny's heart skip a beat. "Thank you. I know you were scared, but you're really brave, you know that?"

PJ looks visibly taken aback. "I didn't...I didn't _feel_ brave."

"Yeah, well." Max shrugs a bit. "That's what being brave means. Hey." He elbows Johnny in the ribs. "Let's go find Issac." There's a beat, and then he adds, "so you can let go of me now."

Johnny's suddenly acutely aware that he's more-or-less got a death grip on Max, arms wrapped around his waist. He flushes, letting go immediately and scrambling to his feet as fast as he can, dumping Max to the floor. "Uh, sorry," he mutters, looking away and awkwardly sticking his hands into his pockets.

Max gets to his feet slowly, hand pressed to his head, grimacing. "Ugh. I got a killer headache right now." He's still shivering, but not as much as before.

"Y'gonna be okay t'make it outta here?"

"I think so." He lowers his hand, giving him a shaky grin. "At least the shadow spirit's not acting up anymore-" He cuts off as the sound of footsteps echoes across the cavern and Isaac comes racing over to them. Johnny glances at the direction he came from and sees the Doorman following at a much more sedate pace.

Isaac stops in front of Max, looking worried. "Are you okay? I saw you collapse, but- but the Doorman said I couldn't come over yet."

"I'm fine." Max looks at Ariel, still silently standing there. "The shadow spirit just- freaked out or something and she put it back to sleep."

"Is that all?" Isaac sounds suspicious. "You were out for a while-"

"I caused no harm, little rainmaker," Ariel interrupts, ears flattening against her skull. Isaac takes a step backwards, electricity coming off him in nervous little arcs. The spirit shakes her head and sighs. "I apologize, child. These are stressful times for us, and I am..." She pauses for a moment. "Not as whole as I used to be."

"What's that supposed t'mean?" Johnny demands, but she holds a silencing hand up.

"Do not question me, little spitfire. Merely know this- when the time comes, I may yet need your assistance. All of you. But until then..." Ariel trails off, drawing one of her wings closer to her and plucking four feathers from it. "If you require my assistance, merely burn these and I will be there." She holds the feathers up and blows on them. They crumble into glittery dust and float away.

"Kinda hard to do that when there's nothing to burn," Max says dryly, watching the shimmering particles hang in the air. Ariel lets out a bark of laughter, lips drawing back from sharp teeth.

"They will turn up when needed most." She folds her wing up, neatly. "And now, little ones, I think you should best be off home. The days are short in winter, I fear, and the light is almost gone." Ariel looks up as she speaks, and Johnny realizes with a start that the sunbeam they've been standing in has almost faded away entirely. The cave suddenly seems oppressive, and he shivers. He wants out of here, away from the spirits and their mumbo-jumbo.

"She's right," Johnny says, voice echoing weirdly. "Let's get outta here." He spins on his heel and marches towards where he thinks the entrance to the tunnel they came in through is. There's the low murmur of someone talking behind him. Probably Issac and the Doorman. He can't make out what they're saying, and he doesn't really care.

He can barely see anything in the darkness of the cave, and it sets him on edge. Where the hell had he put that flashlight, anyway? Johnny's just about to stop and start patting down his pockets when something cold bumps against his arm. "Forget something?" Max sounds amused as he presses the flashlight into his hand. "You're about to walk into a stalagmite, by the way."

"'m not-" He cuts off with a yelp as he smacks into something hard. Johnny switches on the flashlight and glares mildly at Max, who's unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin. "We can't all see in t'dark, y'know."

"Yeah." His grin falters, and Johnny immediately feels awful. "I wish I couldn't." He pauses for a second, eyes going unfocused, then shakes his head and jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "Wait up for Isaac and PJ, okay?"

"Fine," Johnny mutters, trying to ignore the antsiness that's creeping up his back. Isaac's taking forever to say goodbye to the Doorman, and he wants to go over there and physically drag him away. He's just about to actually do it when Max grabs his hand, giving him a stern look. He settles back down, ears burning, and Max lets go, almost as an afterthought. Johnny has to fight back the stupid urge to reach out and take his hand again. He just settles for fidgeting impatiently, feeling like he's going to explode for real if he has to stay in this freakin' cave any longer.

Isaac finally, finally finishes up, running over to them with PJ trailing close behind. "Okay." Max gives him a light push. He sounds exhausted, and Johnny can't blame him. "Let's go."

They all file out of the cavern, back into the winding tunnels, and none of them say a word until they're back outside.

"Well," Max says weakly, squinting in the fading sunlight, "that sure was something."

No kidding, Johnny thinks, but he doesn't voice it. He's suddenly bone-tired, the kinda heaviness that makes you want to go sleep for a million years. He's worn out and frustrated and scared- scared of whatever is Forge is planning, whatever he's about to get dragged into. Johnny side-eyes Max, guilt creeping into his stomach. He shouldn't complain. Max has it worse-

Someone shakes his arm and he jerks out his thoughts, startled, fists raising instinctively. "Woah, easy," Max says, pushing them back down. "You were spacing out on us there."

"Sorry." He turns away, face going hot. "'m just tired, I guess."

"Yeah. I think we all are. It's way later than I thought'd it be." Max takes a step back, glancing up at the sky. He looks away immediately, face screwing up. "Ow. Okay, bad idea."

"Light botherin' ya again?" Johnny asks, concerned, and he nods. "Y'need me to c-" He cuts off with a winded oof as Max elbows him violently in the ribs.

"No!" He exclaims loudly, shooting a glance at Isaac. "No, um. I'm good. Thanks."

Isaac raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, pulling his phone out of his pocket instead. He does a double-take when he checks the time. "Oh, geez!" He sounds genuinely distraught. "I'm gonna be late for dinner! I gotta go like, right now." Isaac shoves his phone in his pocket and starts sidling away.

Max blinks at him. "Do you want us to like, walk with you or-"

"It's fine." He shakes his head. "I don't live far from here." Isaac pauses for a moment, opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again. "Thanks for coming," he says, quietly. "And for finding the Doorman in the first place. It really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well." Max looks away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "What are friends for, right?" He shrugs slightly, then shoots him a grin. "Better run before you get grounded or something."

"I might." Isaac looks stricken. "It's meatloaf night."

"Aren't you-"

"It's not actual meat, Max." He says in exasperation. "See you Monday." He turns around and starts picking his way back to the lake, taking the trail in the opposite direction they came from. Max watches him go before turning back to Johnny.

"Guess that's our cue to get outta here too, huh?"

"Yeah." He looks over his shoulder, checking that PJ's with them. Geez, even the ghost looks tired. Johnny shakes his head and bites back a yawn, starting down the path. Isaac's just a speck in the distance by now, rapidly dwindling out of sight.

They walk- well, float, in PJ's case- in silence for a bit. It's starting to snow again and the sun's beginning to dip beneath the horizon. "Hey," Max says suddenly, voice almost too loud in the quiet dimness. "What actually happened while I was...you know?"

Johnny glances away uncomfortably. "I dunno," he mumbles. "Forge took over for a bit an' I dunno what he an' Ariel were talkin' about but I don't like it." He kicks at a rock on the ground, watches it bounce along the icy path. Tears of frustration prick at his eyes and he sets his jaw, fighting them back. He hates- he _hates_ this, hates being used. It's not fair-

Max's hand slips into his and he sucks in a breath, heart skipping a beat. "I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I know-" He hesitates. "Being possessed's not fun."

"Tell me about it." Johnny laughs shakily, ignoring the pang in his chest when Max lets go. "They- Forge an' Ariel, I mean- they keep sayin' somethin' about a war comin' to Mayview." He glances over at him. "An' I don't know what that means, but I don't like it."

"Yeah. Me neither." He chews his lip for a bit. "I think it's all connected. This war, what happened thirteen years ago, the shadow spirit- Moros," Max corrects himself. "All of it." He lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. "I miss when the biggest thing I had to worry about was a test I didn't study for."

"I never worried about that 'cuz I never study for anythin'" Johnny says dumbly, and Max snorts, shoving him.

"Probably 'cuz you were too busy picking fights with people," he teases. Johnny can't deny it, so he just goes to shoves Max back, but he dodges away, laughing. "Hey, PJ!" He calls, looking up at the ghost. "You wanna do a movie night when we get back home? We can watch all those sci-fi ones you like."

PJ nods enthusiastically, eyes huge. "Yeah! Can Lefty come?"

"If he wants to, yeah." He turns to Johnny. "I still don't know how a hand can watch TV," he says under his breath, and Johnny chokes back a laugh. Max shoots him a grin. "You in?"

"Only if y'don't pick any lame ones-"

"Hey!" PJ protests, scandalized. "They're not lame! Lair of the Frog Scientists is- is-" He trails off, struggling for words. "It's really good!"

"It's got frog scientists so it's automatically a Grammy winner," Max deadpans, mouth twitching like he's trying not to smile.

"Grammy's for music," Johnny points out, and he smacks him on the arm.

"You know what I mean. You coming over or what?"

"'Course I am," he says quickly. He definitely doesn't want to go back to his empty apartment after what just happened, and there's no way he's passing up a chance to spend some quality time with Max. Even if it is watching cheesy sci-fi flicks.

"Awesome." Max gives him another grin and his knees go a little wobbly. "All I want to do right now is forget what happened in that cave. We can fill Isabel in later, okay?"

"Sounds good t'me." That plan's more than fine with him. He doesn't want to think about it either. Johnny knows he's gotta eventually, but right now the only thing that matters to him is being with Max. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's give it up for that plot stuff


	38. slow burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update! i've been elbows deep in paperwork for grad school, please send help

 "Wow, look who's finally awake," his dad says when Max goes downstairs the next morning. He's elbows deep in a big cardboard box and there's packing peanuts all over the counter. "How late did you guys stay up last night?"

"Mm. Late." Max bites back a yawn and frowns at the mess instead. "What are you doing?"

"I'm-" His dad looks down at the box. "I don't remember." He shrugs and pulls his arms out, sending more peanuts cascading down to the floor. "Your friend left a couple hours ago," he adds, picking bits of styrofoam off his shirt.

Max scoffs at that, crossing his arms. "Yeah, and he didn't even say anything. He just took off." He'd woken up on the couch by himself with only a stiff, aching neck from the weird position he'd fallen asleep in to keep him company. PJ not being there made since, 'cuz he's a ghost and he doesn't need to sleep, but...he's kinda mad Johnny just left without letting him know, and he's not really sure why. Max shakes his head and bends down, grabbing peanuts off the floor.

"He was probably busy," his dad offers, pulling the trash can out from under the counter.

"Yeah." Max dumps the packing peanuts into it and stares down at them for a moment. It's not like he's got a monopoly on Johnny or anything so just - just get over it. He looks up from the trash can to see his dad studying him with a weird look on his face. "What?" he demands, immediately suspicious.

 His dad pushes the can back first before saying anything. "Oh, nothing. I just think it's sweet that you two spend so much time together."

Max just blinks in response, face going hot. "Well- we- well, yeah," he finally forces out, tripping over his own words. "Of course we do? We're friends."

"Mhm." His dad leans against the counter, knocking the box off in the process. There's a muffled thump followed by a rustling as the rest of the packing peanuts go spilling everywhere. "Oops." He peeks over the edge before straightening up guiltily. "Gotta add that to the list of stuff to do. Good thing it's quiet today." He drums his fingers on the counter for a moment before beaming down at Max. "But hey! I wanted to ask you something. How'd you feel about seeing a movie with your old man tonight?"

He pauses on his way to grab the broom from where it's propped up against the wall. "Sure? What about Zoey?"

"Well, that's her broom for starters, so..." His dad nods towards it. Max looks at the paper cut-out of a unicorn’s head taped to the handle and slowly withdraws his hand. Zoey's crazy possessive of her stuff. "She's feeling a lot better today, so I let her go over to one of her school friend’s house. Looks like it's just gonna be you and me tonight, bud." He gives him a huge grin. "I feel like-" he cuts off as a customer approaches the counter, purchase in hand.

Max watches them for a bit before wandering back upstairs to find something to eat. It's almost noon, and he's starving. Man, he really has been sleeping in late a lot recently. It's just - the shadow spirit makes him so  _ tired. _ Moros, he mentally corrects himself. If you call it by its name it has less power over you or something. Max is pretty sure he got that bit from a Harry Potter book.

He really wishes he knew what happened in the cave yesterday. He remembers feeling Moros react to Ariel, and the sheer violent anger of it still takes his breath away. The spirit had hated her, completely and utterly. It'd been trying to get at her, clawing its way out of his head and - then she'd put it back to sleep. Max can still feel the spirit's presence in the back of his mind, but it's barely there. Like a ghost.

"Wish she would've just kicked you out instead," he mutters to himself, sitting down at the kitchen table, appetite suddenly gone. This whole situation is getting out of hand. It's been out of hand for months now, and there's nobody Max can turn to that can make it any better.

He's so in over his head he's drowning.

Isabel's gonna go nuts when she hears about this, Max thinks wryly. Heck, if he'd known Ariel was gonna be there he'd have brought her with. He should probably fill her in, but...he really doesn't want to. He'd meant what he'd said to Johnny last night - he just wants to not think about it. It's oxymoronic, yeah - he wants answers just as badly as he wants to forget all the horrible stuff he's been through. Max is going to snap one of these days, and at this rate it's probably going to be sooner rather than later.

He lets out a huge sigh and pulls his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants, flipping it open. Max hesitates for a moment before bringing up his last sent text, from when he’d woken up.

**> max (11:02):** dude where'd u go

**> max (11:02):** u ditched me without saying anything??

Max stares at the screen, practically willing a response to appear. Nothing. He lets out a quiet huff, irritated for some stupid reason. He's about to flip the phone shut when a text pops up.

**> johnny (11:57):** sorry

**> johnny (11:57):** didnt want to wake u up

**> johnny (11:58):** thought u could use some sleep after yesterday

He rereads the messages a couple times before replying, feeling weirdly touched.

**> max (12:02):** wow

**> max (12:02):** that was like

**> max: (12:03):** actually rly sweet and thoughtful

**> max (12:03):** u going soft on me??

The answer comes back almost immediately, making his phone buzz.

**> johnny (12:04):** NO

**> johnny (12:05):** IM NOT SWEET

**> max (12:05): ** u are!!

**> johnny (12:06):** NO!!!!!

**> johnny (12:06):** IM ROUGH & TOUGH

That gets a laugh out of Max. He can practically imagine Johnny shouting that at him, face red.

**> max (12:08):** why cant u be both

**> max (12:09): ** look im gonna be hanging out with my dad tonight but i'll talk to u tomorrow k? we gotta fill in isabel

He snaps the phone shut and puts it down on the table, hungry again. He's halfway through a bowl of cereal when his dad pokes his head through the kitchen door. "You in a better mood yet?" he asks, and Max mumbles something inarticulate around a mouthful of Sugar Puffs. "I'll take that as a yes. What movie do you want to see tonight? I can close the store early if we need to."

Max finishes chewing before answering. "What's out?"

"Uh, let me see." His dad pulls up something on his phone. "You wanna see a romcom?"

"Absolutely not."

"Hm, buzzkill. Oh, how about this one?" His dad points excitedly at the screen. "It's a romcom  _ and _ a musical-"

_ "Dad." _

His dad shakes his head. "Max, you gotta expand your horizons. Okay, how about you take a look and pick something out, okay? I need to get back to the store." There's a distant crash from downstairs and they both look at each other. "Okay, at least it wasn't me this time." He withdraws hurriedly from the doorway. "Choose something good!" he calls, footsteps fading away.

"Okay!" Max yells back. There's gotta be something else besides romcoms playing, right? He polishes off the rest of his cereal and puts the empty bowl in the sink before checking to see if Johnny'd texted him again. There's no new messages, but he finds he’s not bothered as much this time around.

He floats around the house listlessly for the next couple hours, trying and failing to not think about Moros. It's still there in the back of his head, like an itch he can't reach. Like a greasy stain he can't wash away. What does it want in Mayview? Why does it hate Ariel so much? Why won't it leave?

What's gonna happen when it wakes back up?

He ends up lying back on the couch, half draped over the arm and staring at the floor. The worry's starting to give him a stomach ache again. Max closes his eyes and presses his face against the soft fabric, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Calm down, he tells himself. Don't spiral. That's not going to do you any good.

He hears the stairs creak as someone comes up them. "You ready to go, bud?"

"Yeah." His voice is muffled by the couch. Max raises his head and looks at his dad. "What time is it?"

"Little after five," comes the answer, and he groans internally. Great. He's been stuck in an anxiety feedback loop for hours. He hasn't done that in ages. "You pick something out?"

"Uh." Choosing a movie had completely slipped his mind. "Um...how about you pick, after all?"

"Really?" His dad lights up. "How about that musical, then?"

Max forces a grin. "Sure, why not?" That's honestly the last thing in the world he wants to see right now, but it makes his dad happy, so it's fine. He'll just put up with it.

"Great!" His dad beams back at him with genuine excitement. "I'll meet you in the car! I just, um...just need to grab something first." Max watches him head back down before shrugging and going to his room to grab his coat.

He ends up waiting in the car for a good fifteen minutes. Max is starting to get concerned that his dad might've tripped down the stairs and knocked himself unconscious or something, which is a distinct possibility with him, when the driver's door opens and he gets in. "Did you lose your wallet again?" Max asks, buckling his seat belt.

"No - well, yes," his dad admits, following suite and backing the car out of the garage. "But that's not what I was looking for."

Max waits for an explanation, but gets nothing. "Cryptic," he remarks.

His dad gives him a little smile. "You're not the only one who can keep secrets, bud."

"Hey, I don't keep secrets!" he protests automatically, before guiltily remembering that he is, in fact, keeping several very big secrets from his family.

"I know, I know - I'm just teasing." He taps a thumb against the steering wheel as they drive down the street. It's dark already, snowflakes gently drifting down. Nobody else is out on the road, and it makes Max feel like they're the only two people in existence right now. "I just feel like we never get to talk anymore."

"We're talking right now," Max points out, deliberately obtuse. His dad's not really wrong but - but there's just so much that he  _ can't _ tell him.

"Yeah, we are, aren't we?" He nods slightly. There's a prolonged silence. Max leans his head against the window, looking at the snow as it blows past. "So," his dad starts cheerfully, "how's school?"

"It's good."

"Any, um-" His dad slows for a stop sign and the car skids in the snow, causing Max to sit up straight and make a grab for the safety handle with a yelp. "Whoops. Little bit slippery." He gives him a weak smile before turning his attention back to the road. "Anyway, I was going to ask - any crushes or anything?"

Max chokes on his own spit, face burning. It takes him several agonizing seconds to get his composure back and form an answer. "Wh- what- why are you asking?" he sputters out, staring at his dad.

He shrugs with a casualness Max knows is fake. "I'm just curious! If there's a girl you like, or - or a boy," he adds quickly,"because, you know, that's fine too, I'd love to hear about it."

"Stop talking to me," Max groans, sinking so far down in his seat the seat belt threatens to choke him. He eyes the door handle. They're going slow enough that he could probably survive jumping out of the car, right?

"I'm just saying," his dad continues without mercy, "You're at a perfectly normal age for that kind of thing-"

"Dad. Seriously." He drags his hands down his face, wanting to die. This is not what he signed up for when he agreed to go out to the movies.

"Okay, point taken." He lets out a little sigh. "Max. I don't want you to ever feel like you  _ have _ to tell me stuff, okay? Just - you know you can always talk to me about anything, right? If there's something going on in your life that's important to you, I'd like to know about it. I wanna support you." He gives him a smile that’s almost sad. "That's my job as your lame and embarrassing father."

Max swallows thickly, the guilt returning in full force. "I don't think you're lame," he mumbles, looking out the window.

"Aw, bud, you don't have to lie to make me feel better." There's a beat. "Did I ever tell you how me and your mom met?"

He sits back up in his seat, adjusting the seat belt so it's not digging into his neck anymore. "Yeah. At the hospital, right?"

"Yep." His dad nods. "When I had a broken arm 'cuz your mom ran me over with her motorcycle-"

"She  _ what? _ " Max bursts out, whipping his head around. Okay, he'd never heard _ that _ part before.

His dad holds up a pacifying hand. The car swerves and Max screams, clinging onto the grab bar again. "Oops." He returns both hands to the steering wheel. "It wasn't her fault, though." He's got a wistful, distant look in his eyes. "I'd just moved to Baxborough for college and I'd never been in a big city before, you know? I grew up here, in Mayview. Anyway, I got a little too into sightseeing and I, uh, might have wandered out into traffic."

"Oh my God," Max says, dumbfounded.

"But!" He raises a finger. "Luckily your mom wasn't going very fast and I only got a broken arm out of it." He glances at Max. "Same one as yours, actually. Neat, huh?"

“ _ No- _ ”

"Anyway," he keeps talking, "then she yelled at me a lot and took me to the hospital, ‘cuz I didn’t have insurance back then, and I guess she felt sorry for me because she gave me her number and told me to call her if I needed anything." His dad smiles ruefully "Things just kinda went from there, I guess."

"Sounds...romantic?" Max offers, hesitantly. He's not really sure why he's telling him all this.

His dad laughs at that, the car skidding again as he takes the turn into the movie theater parking lot. "It was to me, anyway. Your mom was an amazing woman." He pauses for a moment. "I know losing her when you were so young was hard, especially with the way it happened, but - you're doing great." He pulls into a spot and stops the car, turning to look at him. "You know that, right, bud? She'd be so proud of you."

Somehow Max gets the feeling that his mom would _ not _ be proud of him for sneaking around behind his dad's back, putting his life in danger, but he nods anyway, throat tight. For a moment he wonders if - if she was still alive, would he have told her about...well, everything, really? That he can see ghosts and that he has superpowers and that he has an evil spirit stuck in his head? Would she have understood?

It doesn't matter, anyway. It's not like he's ever gonna talk with her ever again.

"Max?" His dad frowns at him, and he realizes he'd been spacing out.

"Yeah." It takes him a few seconds to find his voice. "Thanks," he says quietly, glancing away. His dad looks like he's about to say something else when he suddenly starts violently, gaze falling on the clock in the dashboard.

"Oh shoot, we better hustle. Movie starts in five minutes!" His dad throws open the car door and attempts to throw himself after it, hindered by the fact that he forgot to unbuckle his seatbelt first. He gives Max a sheepish grin and unlatches it before getting out of the car. Max rolls his eyes but doesn't comment, opening his own door and standing up.

It's snowing even harder now and he shivers in the cold, breath pluming. He sorta - actually,  _ really _ \- wishes Johnny was here. Just so he can leech off his body heat, Max tells himself. That's all.

He follows his very enthusiastic father inside, hoping that maybe watching something stupid like a romcom will at least district him from Moros for a bit.


	39. superior orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna do a second update on sunday since this chapter is so short so keep an eye out for that!

Forge has a new mission now.

"Sir Forge," Ariel had said, and her voice had been so pure and beautiful it almost hurt. It was something he felt deep in his stolen bones, yet another reminder that he was an interloper. An intruder. A thief. How did someone so mighty fall so low? How did someone like him wind up doing this - controlling a child? Clawing his way out of a frightened boy's head was not something he enjoys doing, but it was for the greater good.

And the greater good was there, standing before him.

"My master," he said, inclining his host’s head. He tried to get to his feet, to bow, to show Ariel the respect she deserved, but he couldn't get the boy to relinquish his hold on his sleeping friend. That was a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn't have been. Forge knew his host was independent and willful, eager to seize any chance of rebellion against him.

Well - so be it then. He remained where he was, seated on the ground. Ariel looked down at him, her myriad eyes sparkling with what Forge thought to be amusement. "My host is very...stubborn," Forge said quietly by way of explanation.

Ariel laughs at that. "I have noticed. He is quite the little spitfire." Her face grew solemn, the wrinkles between the brows of her great lion's head deepening. "That could be useful to us." She glanced away, all of her eyes closing. "Sir Forge, I asked to speak with you for a reason. I have a task for you. One that, I am afraid, you may find..." she hesitated. "Most unpleasant."

"Wars are rarely pleasant," Forge said simply, and she sighed.

"I know." Ariel turned back to him, eyes opening slowly. "Moros sleeps for now, but my boon will not contain him for long." She gazed down at the boy in his host's arms. "She is stirring, and she will draw all her children back to her. We cannot let this happen." She raised her head, staring Forge down. "We cannot let her be made whole again."

Forge understood the meaning of her words, and something cold twisted where his heart used to be. "Moros cannot survive outside of this boy, can he?" he asked, slowly.

"No." The answer was sharp, curt.

"I see."

"If the opportunity arises..." Ariel turned around, the wings on her back flexing. "Take it."

"Yes, my master," Forge murmured, looking at the unconscious boy. He had told himself, once, that he would never again serve the greater good, sacrifice the lives of the few for the lives of the many. But he knows what is in the lake, knows what will happen when the war comes. He thinks back to his conversation with the sunglasses spectral. He'd called him selfish, then, and perhaps he was right.

Forge _is_ selfish. More than that, he's a hypocrite. But above all else, he is a soldier, and soldiers follow orders.

Even if they're terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh


	40. burning books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everyone had a good thanksgiving if you celebrate it!

"Why am I here?" Max asks him the next morning, and Johnny shrugs.

"'Cuz-" He stops when the librarian wanders by, shushing him loudly, and he ducks his head, waiting 'til she's gone to continue. "'Cuz RJ said they might be onto something. 'Bout the," he gestures at his head, "y'know. Right?" Johnny asks them, and they nod, still focused on scanning the bookshelf in front of them. They're all in the school library, wedged together in the history section of the narrow aisles. RJ'd texted him this morning and told him to meet them there and to bring Max, so - maybe Johnny had literally dragged him in here, but that's because it was important. Probably.

Max nods slowly. "Okay, well that explains me, but what about Ed?" He looks over at where he's leaning against a shelf, watching RJ flip through books.

"Hey!" Ed protests loudly. "I helped figure it out too!" There's a single, distant shush and he goes bright red. "Besides," he adds quietly, scuffing the ground with his shoe, "Mr. Spender never notices if we do morning patrol anymore or not so - I might as well be here." He points at RJ. "Also, we came to school together, so..."

"Wait, really-" Max starts, stopping when RJ pulls a book off the shelf and smacks it against his chest, pointing at it excitedly. "Geez, alright. What?" He takes the book from them and flips it over so he can look at the cover, frowning slightly. "Greek mythology? What's that got to do with anything?"

RJ rolls their eyes and snatches the book back, opening it dramatically and flipping through the pages. Johnny leans over and looks over their shoulder, watching them thumb through what looks like a glossary, stopping at the M section. "Oh," he says, cottoning on. "Y'lookin' for that Moros guy?" They nod vigorously. "How'd y'even know he'd be in here?" RJ gives him a withering look, finding the page they were looking for and turning to it. They're big on mythology and stories and stuff, Johnny knows, so it makes sense that they'd have heard of Moros.

Max looks at him. "Did you tell your gang everything that happened in the cave?"

"Uh...yeah?" He glances away. Most of it, anyway - Johnny'd left out the bit about Forge taking control 'cuz he didn't want to worry his friends or - or worse, have them be scared of him. Like he's scared of his spirit. "It's why I left yer place early yesterday."

There's an expression on Max's face he can't quite place. "Fair enough, I guess. I still don't understand why we're looking at this book, though." He directs that last bit at RJ, who turns the book around and shoves it towards him, tapping the page repeatedly.

"They want ya t'read it out loud," Johnny supplies helpfully.

Max sighs but takes the book anyway, squinting down at it. "Moros-" he cuts himself off, grip tightening on the book. "Moros," Max starts again, voice unsteady, "the Ancient Greek god of doom and despair. The son of Nyx, the goddess of the night." He stares down at the book for a moment before slamming it shut loudly. "Are you guys saying I've got a freaking _Greek god_ stuck in my head?"

RJ shrugs one shoulder. They take the book back from Max and reshelve it. "It fits, doesn't it?" they say quietly. "Maybe all these old myths are actually based on spirits."

Ed looks thoughtful. "That does actually make a lotta sense, y'know. I know some of them can get to be really old." He straightens up. "Like Mr. Spender's spirit. Lucifer's like, 600 or something."

Max does a double-take, raising a finger. "Excuse me? Look, I've said it before but I'll say it again- I am absolutely not down for Satanishenanigans-"

"He's not _that_ Lucifer," Ed interrupts loudly. Someone walking past the aisle gives them all a weird look and hurries away. "I think," he adds, mumbling.

"Mhm." Max looks unconvinced.

"Anyway," Ed continues, pulling his paintbrush out of his pocket and fidgeting with it, "if your spirit really is the same one as the myths then he's gotta be ancient. Couple thousand years at least." He frowns at Max. "Which makes it even weirder than he's possessing you."

"I'm going to pretend to not be insulted by that," he says back, dryly. "It's not like I want this thing-" The rest of his sentence is drowned out by the sound of the warning bell ringing.

"Oh, gotta go!" Ed shoves his tool back in his pocket. He turns around as if to dart off, then hesitates. "I'll ask Izzy about it too, okay? Maybe she'll know what to do."

"Thanks," Max says weakly, and he suddenly looks small and scared. Ed nods and leaves.

RJ elbows Johnny in the ribs. "What?" he asks, confused, and they roll their eyes, jerking their head towards Max. They give him a shove and he stumbles forward, giving them a mild glare. RJ just gives him a big wink in response before following after Ed. "So," Johnny starts awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Want me t'walk ya to class or somethin'?"

"Sure." Max gives him a little smile and he swallows, ears burning. They're quiet the whole way out of the library. Johnny's desperately trying to come up with something to say that'll take his mind off Moros, but he's blanking completely. He keeps thinking about what Ed said - that the spirit might actually be thousands of years old. That makes him wonder how old Forge is. He kinda looks like a knight, so maybe he's from around that time? 

He jumps when someone yanks on the back of his shirt, startling him out of his thoughts. Johnny whirls around to see Max frowning at him. "Dude, you almost walked right into this." He gestures at the open door of the classroom they're standing next to. "You spacing out on me again?"

"Sorry." He ducks his head, face hot. "Just thinkin 'bout, y'know." He shrugs a shoulder. "Moros an' Forge and- and all this stuff." Johnny leaves it unspoken, but he knows Max understands. Ariel, the Cousinhood, whatever the hell happened thirteen years ago - there's just too much going on.

"Oh." Max lets go of his shirt and takes a step back, expression softening. "Yeah. You and me both. I-" He interrupts himself as Mr. Starchman comes bounding up out of nowhere, skidding to a stop in front of them.

"Good morning!" he exclaims cheerfully, pulling something out of his pocket. He grabs Johnny's hand and slaps whatever it is onto his palm before waltzing into the classroom. Johnny looks down to see a shiny gold star lying there and exchanges a glance with Max.

"What was that all about?"

"Beats me." He shrugs, giving him a grin. "But hey. Now you can buy yourself a sip of something at the school store."

Johnny shakes his head, shoving the star at Max. "'m not allowed in there, so y'take it."

Max just stares at him, incredulous. "What? What did you do?"

"Well-" He looks away, embarrassed. "I might'a started a bar fight this one time-"

"Oh my God."

"It's not like I was tryin' to!" Johnny protests. "It just...kinda happened? Then Lisa got all mad 'cuz her favorite cups got broke so she said I wasn't ever allowed back an' I've never bothered tryin' t'sneak in 'cuz Ollie takes his job really seriously-"

Max interrupts him with a laugh and puts his hand over his mouth, stopping the onslaught of words. Johnny shuts up immediately, face hot. "Okay, that definitely sounds like something you'd do," Max teases, dropping his hand and stepping back. "When did this happen anyway?"

"Uh, last year. Before ya moved here. Anyway - anyway - take it!" He thrusts the star towards him aggressively, trying and failing to stop the flush creeping up the back of his neck. "I don't got any use for it, so-"

"Okay, okay!" Max takes it, shaking his head. He's smiling, though, and that makes Johnny's heart rate pick up. "You're so like, gung-ho about everything all the time." He puts the star in his jacket pocket, studying him. "It's kinda endearing-" He freezes, going red.

"Uh," is all Johnny says, completely at a loss for words.

"I don't - I don't mean it in a weird way!" Max says hastily, going even redder. "I just - uh - I gotta go sit down before class starts," he mumbles, turning around a fleeing into the classroom.

Johnny just blinks, confused. "Okay?" The bell rings again and he winces. Great, now he's gonna be late. At least it’s only study hall.

He spends the entire period texting RJ under his desk instead of doing homework, grilling them on everything they know about Moros. Everything they send back boils down to pretty much the exact same thing Max had read in the library. That Moros is, in RJ’s words, ‘the all-destroying god’. Johnny bites his lip hard, ignoring the taste of blood that fills his mouth. Christ. No wonder Max is so scared of him.

Johnny’s the first one out of the room when the bell rings, booking it down the hall towards his history class. He’s gotta talk to Stephen, ‘cuz he needs - he _really_ needs a distraction right now. The room’s dead when he enters. Johnny takes his seat, waiting impatiently for his friend to show up. He walks in a couple minutes later, and Johnny gestures him over frantically. 

"Where's Spinner?" he asks Stephen after he sits down, gesturing at the empty desk up front. He’s stuck with Spender for history this tri, something he’s not exactly thrilled about.

"Dunno." Stephen shrugs, chewing on the end of a pencil. "But if he's not here in fifteen minutes we're legally allowed to leave," he says confidently. "Hey.” He slaps Johnny on the arm. “What were you and RJ up to in the library this morning?"

"We-" He stops when Spender walks through the door. Johnny shakes his head, drawing a finger across his throat. "Tell ya later," he mutters, and Stephen nods, glancing furtively at the teacher. He doesn't want Spender overhearing their conversation. Johnny's not sure if that'd get Max in trouble or not, but he's not about to risk it.

"Good morning, students!" Spender says brightly, tone at odds with his face. He looks absolutely exhausted, even with the sunglasses on. "Today we're going to be working on a project, so everyone partner up." There's an excited murmur from the class. "With someone you haven't partnered up with before!" he adds, raising his voice over the collective disappointed groan.

"Aw, man!" Stephen complains loudly. "Lame." He taps his pencil against the desk. "What if I just send myself to the principal's office so I can get outta this?"

"Then you'll get suspended again an yer mom'll flip," Johnny points out, and he sighs noisily.

"I guess."

Spender claps his hands. "Okay, kids, let's go! Otherwise I'll start assigning pairs!" He walks forward, stopping in front of Johnny's desk. He looks even worse up close, yellow smoke wafting out of the corners of his eyes, behind the glasses. "Johnny, why don't you pair up, with, um." Spender looks around the room. "With Jeff over there, okay?"

Jeff's absolutely the last person he wants to be paired up with, but he doesn't want to pick a fight with Spender. He doesn't even want to talk to him at all, 'cuz Johnny knows that whatever he and Max are getting mixed up in - Spender's got something to do with it. Maybe it's even his fault. Those Cousinhood creeps had seemed to know him personally, after all, and Johnny doesn't trust that.

"Okay," he says shortly, pushing his chair back and standing up. Stephen gives him a weird look but doesn't comment.

"Excellent!" Spender gives him a smile that he doesn't return, and it drops slowly. He clears his throat awkwardly, turning to Stephen. "How about you go with Alex, all right?" His voice fades away as Johnny picks up his backpack and drops into the seat next to Jeff, back in the corner.

"Uh, hey," he says, sounding nervously. "Guess we're partners today, huh?"

"Yeah." Johnny hasn't spoken to Jeff since the hitball incident. He shifts a bit, uncomfortable with the knowledge that it was his bullying had caused the whole damn thing. That got Max hurt. He turns away sharply, unzipping his backpack and rifling through it for a pencil. His hand closes around one and he pulls it out, glancing up just in time to make eye contact with Stephen across the room.

'You okay'?" his friend mouths at him, and Johnny nods, confused. Stephen shakes his head, pointing vigorously at him. Then he wiggles his fingers, moving his hands upward in a rising motion. Johnny just gestures back at him, completely lost. What's that even supposed to mean- oh.

He looks down at the pencil clenched in his hand. It’s smoldering, tiny plumes of smoke wafting up, and he drops it on the desk hastily. It rolls off and lands on the floor with a clatter, extinguishing itself. Stephen sighs loudly and slumps back in his seat as Johnny snatches the stupid thing off the ground and stuffs it back into his backpack. Guess he's not doing any writing this period.

"Uh," Jeff says faintly from behind him. Johnny swears quietly under his breath and spins to face him.

"Y'didn't see nothin', okay?" he tells him aggressively, and Jeff holds his hands up in surrender.

"Nope!" he squeaks out. "Didn't see anything!"

Johnny just makes a noncommittal noise and turns away again, restless and irritated. God, why can't he ever keep his freakin' powers under control? He bites back the urge to groan and presses his forehead into his palm. Maybe Forge is just doing this on purpose to mess with him. Maybe-

A shadow falls across the desk and he looks up to see Spender, holding a big stack of papers. He's staring right at him with a small frown. Johnny thinks he is, anyway, It's hard to tell with the sunglasses. "See me after class," Spender tells him, setting a sheet of paper down on his desk. "Please."

Great, Johnny thinks bitterly, watching Spender walk away. He's gonna get chewed out for not being able to do this spectral junk right. It's not like Splendid's any help. He feels something miserable settle in his stomach. God, he wishes Max was here. 'Cept he's not, and he's gotta make it through the rest of the day first if he wants to see him again.

"Um," Jeff starts nervously, and Johnny glares at him. "Okay, uh - nevermind."

"No-" He forces himself to calm down. He's not gonna lose control twice in less than ten minutes. He's _not._ "What were y'gonna say?"

"Well, I just-" Jesus, the kid looks like he's about to get up and bolt out of the classroom. Johnny bites the inside of his cheek, bothered for some reason. No. He knows the reason. He just doesn't want to admit it.

He scares Jeff.

Johnny thinks about Max getting mad at him at the dance, asking him if he likes scaring people. About Isaac's scathing critique - _you just like hurting people._ It's not true, but the words won't stop echoing in his mind. He shakes his head violently, snapping back to reality. Jeff's just staring at him, and Johnny realizes he'd totally tuned out the rest of his sentence. "Uh, sorry," he says awkwardly. "I missed that."

"I said I could do the writing for the worksheet since, um, your pencil seems...defective?" Jeff lets out a strangled little laugh.

"Oh. Okay." He ducks his head, looking away again. "Thanks," he mumbles, embarrassed. Jeff doesn't comment on that, reaching for the paper instead. Johnny slaps his hand down on top of it before he can get to it. "Hey," he declares loudly, and a couple of his classmates glance in their direction. He scowls back at them and they turn away, hastily. "I wanna tell ya somethin'," Johnny continues leaning in towards Jeff.

"Is it like, a bad something, or..." he asks, leaning away in response. "'Cuz you're kinda making me uncomfortable-"

"I'm sorry." Johnny interrupts. He sits back, not quite able to meet his eyes. "For- y'know. Bein' mean t'you."

"Oh. Um. It's- it's okay?" Jeff fumbles, clearly at a loss for words, and Johnny shakes his head.

"No it ain't. So just - just-" He twists his mouth to the side in exasperation, drumming his fingers on the desk. "Y'don't have to like, forgive me or anythin', but - I just wanted t'let yknow."

"Okay," comes the quiet response, and Johnny nods once sharply, face hot. He almost gives Jeff a smile but remembers his teeth at the last moment. Don't wanna freak him out any more than he already is.

The rest of the period's still awkward, but at least they manage to get the worksheet done. Jeff seems a little less on edge, and Johnny's glad for that at least. He still gets up right away when the bell rings, heading over to Cody. Johnny's pretty sure they're talking about him, 'cuz Jeff keeps pointing in his direction. Cody glances over, one eyebrow raised, and he looks away, even more embarrassed. That's gonna ruin his tough-guy reputation for sure. Not that he really cares about that. Not anymore.

"Dude, let's go!" Stephen pops up next to his desk, yanking on his arm. "Tell me what you guys found in the library-"

"I can't," Johnny interrupts, jerking a thumb towards Spender standing by the door. "Teach wants me t'stay after class an' talk t'him."

"Seriously?" Stephen crosses his arms with a huff. "What'd ya do now?" A guilty expression creeps across his face. "Is it 'cuz of, the, y'know..." He drops his voice. "Powers stuff?"

"Probably." He eyes Spender. The classroom's empty by now except for the three of them. "Y'better go," he tells Stephen. "I'll catch ya guys up at lunch, 'kay?"

Stephen looks like he's about to start arguing when Spender comes over. "Time for you to get to your next class, I think," he says, ushering him to the door and gently pushing him out into the hallway. Johnny gets one last glimpse of his friend's worried face before the door shuts and he's alone with Spender. It's just like the time after he first got his powers, and he hadn't enjoyed it then either. Johnny just hopes he's not gonna grill him on Forge again this time.

Spender stops in front of his desk. Johnny pointedly refuses to look up, staring down at the battered wood instead. He hears a small sigh and then Spender crouches down so they're at eye level. "How are you feeling?"

Johnny blinks, surprised. He'd been expecting Spender to start yelling at him, but he actually sounds...concerned? "Fine?" he says hesitantly, trying to figure out what prompted this. Did - did he find out about the bite somehow? There's no way he could've, right? Or maybe he somehow knows about the cave-

"You sure?" Spender's voice interrupts his racing thoughts. Johnny nods sharply, struggling to keep from catching on fire again. The man pauses for a moment, like he's choosing his words carefully. "I...apologize," Spender starts. "For not checking up on you after the..." he hesitates again. "...incident, in the woods. I should've-" He shakes his head and stands up suddenly, crossing his arms and turning away. "I should be apologizing for more than that. I know I haven't been the best leader lately, and you're probably feeling like you've been left in the dark."

Everyone is, Johnny thinks sourly. He doesn't have a lot of respect for Spender, not after seeing what his secret-keeping's done to Max and the rest of the club. "Shouldn't ya be apologizing t'everyone else too?" he challenges, and Spender flinches.

"Yes." He says it so quietly that Johnny barely hears it. There's a long silence, and then he turns around, weak smile in place. "I don't expect you kids to understand. This is - what I'm doing is for the best. I-"

"Why're ya tellin' me this?" he interrupts loudly. Spender's gotta know he's just gonna turn around and repeat everything to Max, right?

Spender glances away briefly. "I don't know. I suppose..." He trails off, yellow smoke billowing off him. He looks Johnny and he can feel the eye contact, even with the sunglasses. "I want Forge to hear this. I want him to know I'll do whatever it takes to protect this town."

"Figures," Johnny says bitterly, shoving his chair back and getting to his feet. "Y'just wanna use me like everyone else. Y'don't actually care about me."

"No, that's not- I didn't-" Spender looks stricken. "That's not true. I-"

"Save it!" he yells at him, snatching his backpack off the ground, suddenly furious. He can feel the room in the air getting hot, but he can't calm down. Can't stop it. He can't _ever_ stop it, and that's - that's Spender's fault, 'cuz he should've been teaching him how to control his powers. Spender's an adult - he's supposed to be there to help. "Y'think yer trying to help," Johnny spits at him, backing away towards the door, "but all y'do is make things worse!"

Spender doesn't even react, just stands there like he's rooted to the spot. Johnny wrenches the door open and slams it shut behind him, the sound muffled by the bell ringing again. Great, now he's gonna be late for another class. He storms down the hall, fuming. Probably literally - with his luck he's gonna set off the smoke detectors or something.

He makes it around the corner before he can't take it anymore.

Johnny sinks to the ground with a groan, back to the wall and palms pressed to his forehead. He's got to get it _together._ He's starting to feel like he had back in September, when he'd first started seeing the shades. Freaked out and alone. It's just-  it's too much. He doesn't know how to deal with this, doesn't know how to help Max, doesn't know _anything._

And he hates it.

Stupid Spender, Johnny thinks savagely, trying not to cry. Least there'd be nobody around to see if he did. Stupid Cousinhood, stupid Forge, stupid _everything._ They all just wanna use him, like he's some kinda - some kinda toy. Or a weapon, his brain supplies helpfully. 'Cuz of all that junk about a war.

Someone nudges him with their foot and he looks up with a scowl, vision blurry. "What?" Johnny snaps, blinking the tears away. Violet's standing in front of him, holding a stack of papers, one eyebrow raised. "Whattya want?"

"Well, for starters, I'd like you to not burn this place down." Violet gestures at him. "You know you're smoking right now?"

Johnny doesn't say anything, just lets out a frustrated growl and slams his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Of course he is. Stop it, he tells himself, taking a deep breath. Stop it, stop it, stop it, just _stop it_ -

There's a rustling noise as Violet drops down to sit next to him. "Okay, Johnny Storm," she says, voice dry but slightly concerned. "What's up with you? You skipping class?"

"Could ask ya t'same," he mutters, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I'm running an errand for Ms. Baxter." There's a thump as she sets the papers aside. "She forgot some stuff in the teacher's lounge so she sent me to get it." Johnny makes a noncommittal noise, wishing she'd just go away. There's a long, increasingly awkward silence. Violet finally breaks it with an exasperated sigh. "Hey. Jeff told me what you said to him. That was-" She pauses for a moment. "Big of you, I guess. I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, well-" He shrugs, face heating up in embarrassment. "I just...I felt bad. An' I realized I never apologized for real, so..." Johnny trails off, feeling awkward. Geez, how many people had Jeff told?

"Guess Max is a pretty good influence on you, huh?" Violet quips, and he sits bolt upright, glaring at her.

"You - he-" He struggles for words, flustered. It's not like she's _wrong_ , 'cuz hanging around Max does make him wanna be a better person, but - but - she doesn't need to know that, and he'd die if Max ever found that out. "Shut up!" Johnny hisses finally, the only retort he can think of.

Violet just smirks. "Fine." Her face gets serious. "You gonna tell me what's wrong yet?"

Johnny looks away, crossing his arms. "Why do ya care?"

She lets out a little laugh. "I don't know. I keep trying to stay out of all this weirdness, but it's not working out very well for me." She's quiet for a moment. "I guess I just don't like seeing people upset."

Johnny bites his lip, trying to find a way to voice what he's feeling. "It's-" He starts, then stops, 'cuz his throat's burning all of a sudden. "It's this. It's all of this." He makes a sharp, violent gesture with his hand, trailing flames through the air. Johnny flinches away, bumping up against Violet. "I don't understand anythin'," he continues bitterly, watching the fire die away. "I hate my spirit! He keeps - he keeps - he makes me do stuff I don't wanna do an' I can't ever stop him 'cuz I'm not strong enough!" He punches the ground angrily, pain jolting up his arm. God, now he's crying for real. "m scared," Johnny mumbles, half-hoping Violet didn't hear. He doesn't know why he's even telling her all this.

She takes in an unsteady breath. "Have you tried talking to anyone about this? Like, an adult-"

"Who am I gonna tell?" Johnny interrupts her. "Spender's useless. All the other teachers just think I'm a no-good punk, so they don't care. I haven't seen my mom in five years an' my dad's never home an' even when he is he's drunk!" He's half-yelling by now, breathing hard. "My friends try but they just- they just don't know what it's like an' Max an' the rest o'the Club try too but they don't have any answers either! I just-" He shakes his head, unable to continue. He's scared and lost and he feels guilty for feeling that way 'cuz it's not like he's the only one with problems-

Violet puts a hand on his shoulder, grip tightening as she lets out a tiny little yelp. Johnny pulls away hastily. He's gotta be boiling hot to the touch right now. He looks at her, stomach twisting at the pained expression on her face. He just keeps hurting people, doesn't he? He's about to say something when Violet holds up her other hand, stopping him. "I'm sorry," she says quietly, maintaining direct eye contact. "I didn't know. That's - that's a lot to deal with."

"Yeah." Johnny inhales deeply and holds it for a while. "Sorry for-  for blowin' up at ya."

"It's fine. You feel any better?"

"Uh." He considers it. "Yeah. A lil', I think." He gives her an unsteady smile. "Thanks for listenin', I guess."

"Sure." She returns it, picking up the stack of papers and getting to her feet. "Your teeth still freak me out, though."

"Max likes 'em," Johnny says automatically, and she snorts.

"I'm sure he does. Look, I gotta go." Violet pauses for a moment, mouth twisting like she's trying to think of what to say. "I don't understand any of this, and I don't think I want to. But - look. I'm not your friend, and I probably won't ever be, but..." she trails off again, looking awkward. "But you've got someone in your corner, okay?"

"Okay?" Johnny says uncertainly, and she nods, doing an about-face and marching down the hall, leaving him alone again. His knuckles still smart from punching the ground. Probably gonna bruise. He wipes at his face quickly, getting up. He'd better get to class too.

Johnny thinks he's gonna tell his friends everything at lunch. About how goddamn freakin' terrified he is, 'cuz even if they can't do anything to help, anything's better than keeping it all bottled up. Like Max keeps telling him.

Maybe he'll talk to Max too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> violet somehow managed to get top billing in this fic despite not being a main character and that is bc i love her
> 
> also! i wanna promo the short story i wrote for a friend's sci-fi anthology. it's got a dr who expy, sword lesbians, and a scathing critique of the capitalist stranglehold on entertainment. you can read it for free/download the file [here](http://www.jameswylder.com/blog/lady-aesculapius-episode-10). feel free to leave a comment, i'd love some feedback! 
> 
> thanks yall!


	41. prometheus

"Okay, I'm here!" Max says hurriedly, throwing the door open. "What's the emergency?"

Johnny just blinks at him from where he's sitting on his bed, looking confused. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"You - God, hold on." He holds up a finger, trying to catch his breath and ignoring the stitch in his side. "You texted me, remember?" Max fumbles for his phone and flips it open, the last few messages still on the screen.

**> johnny (1:27):** MAX

**> johnny (1:27):** GET UR BUTT OVER HERE RN

"Oh, that." Johnny springs off the bed and grabs him by the hand, dragging him over to the tank in the corner of his room. "Check it out!" he says proudly, gesturing at where Moxie's curled up on a rock.

Max stares at him. "You made me run all the way over here to look at your lizard?"

"Well, ya didn't have to run!" Johnny protests. "I just- she woke up early this year an' I got excited, okay?" he mumbles, flushing a bit. Okay, Max finds himself thinking, that's cute. He really does love his bearded dragon.

He bends down a little bit to look at her, his own face getting hot for some reason. She just blinks back slowly. "Do lizards hibernate or something?"

"Yeah, 'cept it's called brumation instead. Usually she's sleepin' 'til the end of March. Um." Johnny pauses for a moment, awkwardly. "Sorry t'make ya come over-"

"Nah, it's fine," Max interrupts, straightening back up. "I didn't have any other plans anyway." He and Isabel were going to hang, but she'd had to cancel because half the dojo had blown up somehow and it was gonna take all weekend to fix it. "Actually, I'm glad to get out of the store," Max confesses, grinning at him, "'cuz my dad was starting to drive me nuts by reading the messages in all the Valentine's Day cards. You know how many puns that is?"

"Uh." Johnny gets even redder for some reason. "Right. That's, uh - that's comin' up soon."

"Yeah," Max says unenthusiastically. "Not exactly my favorite holiday." It's way too mushy and sappy for him, and knowing his dad, he'll probably start badgering him about whether he's got any crushes or anything again. Which he _doesn't._

Johnny makes a weird noise, turning back to the tank and busying himself with unlatching it. Max blinks, confused, but decides against commenting. "Y'wanna hold her?" Johnny asks when he's got the top off.

"Yeah, sure." Max holds his hands out, watching him carefully deposit Moxie. "Hi," he says, giving the lizard a little smile and immediately feeling stupid. She just tips her head to the side in response, slowly waving one arm in a circle. "You're sure she doesn't mind me holding her, right?" he asks nervously, 'cuz he can never shake the feeling he's bothering her.

"Course I am." Johnny pushes him towards the bed and Max stumbles forward a bit. "I wouldn't let ya do it if I didn't like - uh - I mean, if she didn't like ya," he adds hastily, flushing again. "I just - um. Just sit down already!" He says that last bit very aggressively, the temperature in the room skyrocketing. 

Max raises an eyebrow but sits on the edge of the bed anyway. Johnny plunks down next to him and Moxie immediately starts squirming, trying to escape his grip. "Wow, okay." He lets her go and watches her clamber her way onto Johnny's lap. "I see how it is." Max presses a hand to his chest, feigning offense.

"Sorry." Johnny shrugs, giving him a sharp grin. "She just likes me better 'cuz I'm all warm."

"Guess you can't really blame her," Max says before his brain can catch up with his mouth. "I'd do the same if I was a lizard." Oh, geez, that sounded weird. "Uh, I mean-" He fumbles, continuing to dig himself in deeper, "I guess I kinda already do? Since - since -" Oh my God, Puckett, _stop talking._ "I like that you're warm," Max finishes lamely, face burning.

There's a very long, awkward silence. Max stares firmly at the ground, mentally kicking himself. What the heck had that been about? It's like the words had just fallen right out and he hadn't been able to stop them. Yeah, he _does_ like that Johnny's so warm all the time, and he doesn't exactly keep the fact that he leeches off his body heat a secret, but still - that'd just been plain embarrassing.

"Uh," Johnny says finally, sounding stunned. "Thanks?"

"Yeah," Max mutters, making to stand up. "Look, um, I'm gonna - I gotta go."

"Hey!" Johnny lunges forward and grabs his hand, pulling him back down. Max freezes, heart lurching painfully. God, what's _wrong_ with him right now? "Y'just got here." He looks confused and kinda hurt.

"I-" He can't get his voice to work. Max is suddenly acutely aware that Johnny's still holding his hand, and now he's thinking about _warm_ he is, and - and - he's all jittery right now and he can't figure out why. "Fine," he mumbles, looking away hastily. "I'll stay. 'Cuz otherwise you'll probably get yourself into trouble if I don't keep an eye on you," Max quips weakly, trying his best to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach.

"Would not," Johnny retorts, finally letting go, and Max laughs.

"You totally would."

"Well-" He splutters, at a loss for words. "I don't get into as much as I used to, so..."

"That's true." Max shoves him playfully. "I think you're getting soft," he teases, laughing again at Johnny's outraged expression and dodging the attempt at a return shove, lying back on the bed. "I heard about Jeff."

"Does everyone know about that?" Johnny complains, leaning over him.

"Yep." He grins up at him. "Now the whole school's gonna know how sweet you are." He regrets the words as soon as he says them, feeling a flush creep up the back of his neck. Johnny just stares down at him, eyes wide, and - God, he really does have long eyelashes, and that's super distracting right now. Max finds himself thinking about that stupid dream for the first time in ages, and he swallows hard. "Um - I just-" He fumbles, propping himself up on his elbows. "Back up, dude. You're making me sweat." That's the only reason he's all sweaty right now, Max tells himself. It's just 'cuz of Johnny's powers. 

Johnny sits back hastily, dislodging Moxie. The big lizard gives him what looks like a disturbingly human glare. "Sorry," Johnny mutters, and Max isn't sure if he's talking to him or to her. "Let's get ya back in yer home," he adds, scooping Moxie back up. Oh. Probably her, then.

Max watches him put her back her tank, willing himself to stop thinking about the dream. That _kiss._ He almost succeeds, and then Johnny glances his way and their eyes meet and his heart lurches again like he's just missed the bottom step of the stairs-

"Y'okay?" The question snaps him out of whatever weird, freaky thing that's happening to him, and he shakes his head, trying to get his pulse to slow the heck down.

"Uh- yeah?" Max grimaces. Why'd that come out sounding like a question?

"Y'were starin' at me," Johnny points out, latching the top of the tank.

Max freezes, face going hot. "Well - you - you stare at me all the time!" he shoots back, fully aware of how lame a retort that was. "I was just - I was thinking about stuff. Kinda got a lot on my mind right now."

"Oh," Johnny says. "How's, um. Y'know." He gestures at his temple.

Max lets out a loud puff of air and falls backwards onto the bed again. "He's still sleeping, I think. I haven't really, like, felt him or anything?" He's still trying to come to terms with the fact that he's possessed by an actual, literal, ancient god. Or at least the inspiration for one. Max can't really wrap his head around it. Why _him,_ of all people?

Johnny sits down next to him. He's fidgeting with the blanket when Max glances over, shoulders hunched. "I wish I knew how t'help," he mutters. "I don't like that- that-" He hesitates, like he's struggling to voice his thoughts. "He scares ya, right? Moros? Like Forges does t'me."

"Yeah," Max admits, rolling over a bit so that he's pressed up against Johnny. He hates having Moros in his head. The constant feeling of dread is like having an anchor tied around him, and Max knows that if he lets his guard drop, he'll drown. But it's just - it's exhausting. He's so tired, and he wants Moros _out_ , wants him _gone._ He lets out a noisy huff and glances up at Johnny, giving him a weak grin that he doesn't really feel. "This sucks."

"Yeah." He goes quiet. "It does."

Max is about to respond when his phone buzzes insistently in his pocket. He pulls it out, checking the screen. There's a text notification, and he opens it up.

**> damien (2:16):** max?? dude?? you still there?? you just went awol on me

"Who's that?" Johnny leans in so he can look at the screen, and either his body heat or his proximity - it's definitely the heat, Max tells himself - has him getting all flustered.

"Just one of my friends from Baxborough," Max mumbles back, ignoring the blush creeping across his face. "We were talking before you interrupted us." He snorts at Johnny's protest and sends a text back.

**> max (2:19):** sorry

**> max (2:19):** i had to run and look at a lizard

**> damien (2:30):** ..what

"Hey," Max says suddenly, reaching up and yanking Johnny down a bit. "Get in here." He flips his phone around, doing his best to aim it. It's super hard to take a picture without a front-facing camera sometimes, so he's just hoping this turns out okay.

"Wh - what are ya doin?" Johnny sounds kinda freaked out for some reason, his temperature kicking up a bit.

"What do you think?" Max lets go and checks the picture. Looks pretty good, actually. He sends it, adding a message below.

**> max (2:33):** ^ its his lizard

**> max (2:34):** we're just chilling

The reply that comes back almost makes him drop his phone on his face.

**> damien (2:35): **MAX

**> damien (2:36): **YOU GOT A BOYFRIEND + YOU DIDN'T TELL ME???

"Y'okay?" Johnny bends down again. "Y'just got super red-"

"It's nothing!" Max yelps frantically, elbowing him in the stomach in his rush to sit up. "It's just - it's just -" God, _calm down!_ He takes a deep breath, face so hot it feels like it's gonna start melting. "He just said something stupid, that's all," Max mumbles finally, turning away and sending a furious text.

**> max (2:39):** dude what are u TALKING about?!?!

**> damien (2:40):** wait

**> damien (2:40):** are you guys not dating

**> max (2:41):** NO!!

**> max (2:41):** why would u even think that

**> damien (2:42):** idk you just looked really coupley!!

**> damien (2:43):** maybe you should date youd be cute ;)

Max instinctively chucks his phone. It hits the wall and slides down, landing under the bed with a clatter. Oops, he thinks guiltily. Good thing it's pretty much indestructible.

"Uh." Johnny's just staring at him, clearly confused. "Y'sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm-" He cuts off with a groan, resisting the urge to drag his hands down his face. God, he'd almost forgotten how much his friends liked to tease him. "It's nothing. Sorry." Max looks away, embarrassed. "I'll go get it."

"Nah, I got it." Johnny launches himself to his feet and shoves Max back down. "It's a mess under there, anyway."

"Never would've figured," Max says dryly, eyeing the state of the rest of the room. He watches him disappear halfway under the bed, shoving stuff out onto the floor. A piece of paper catches his eye and he bends down a bit, picking it up. It looks like an old photograph, all wrinkled and dog-eared. There's two little kids in it, holding hands and grinning at whoever's holding the camera. "Hey." He nudges Johnny with his foot. "Who's this?"

"Wha- ow." There's a thunk and he emerges from under the bed, rubbing the back of his head.

"This." Max flips the photo around, showing it to him.

"Oh." Johnny looks away, shoulders hunched. "That's me an' my lil' sis. Before - y'know."

"Oh," Max repeats, quietly. He looks back down at it, feeling his heart twinge a bit. Right. He'd almost forgotten that Johnny even _had_ a sister, and he's kinda mad at himself for that. "What's her name?"

"Sophie." He leans forward, putting his elbows on the mattress, staring blankly at the far wall. His fingers are digging into his forearms so hard his knuckles are white. "I really miss her," Johnny mumbles, looking at Max.

He can't speak for a bit, throat tight. "I'm sorry," is all Max can think to say, and it sounds empty. What _can_ you even say to that? What if the situation was reversed, and it was him, missing Zoey? He'd be miserable.

Johnny just gives him a little smile in return. "I can't find yer phone," he says loudly, clearly trying to move on. "How hard did ya throw it?"

"Not that hard," Max protests, shoving his shoulder. "Hey," he says again, pointing at the picture. "You telling me you're actually blond?"

"Well- it's-" Johnny fumbles, snatching the picture out of his hands. "Y'already know I dye it!"

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting that!" He laughs, leaning over him. "Your roots are showing," he teases, ducking Johnny's oncoming punch.

"No they ain't!" He frowns at him, face bright red.

Max reaches out and pats him on the head, pausing for a moment. Okay, geez, his hair is actually really soft. "Uh-" he snatches his hand back, flushing. God, what's up with him today? "I'm just - I'm just messing with you."

"Right," Johnny says back, voice slightly strangled. He practically dives back under the bed.

"Geez, you got a pocket dimension or something under there or something?" Max asks, watching various objects come flying out. "How much stuff can you even fit under there?"

"Shut up!" Johnny protests loudly. "I'm doin' this for ya."

He bites back a laugh. "Wow, you really are sweet." Max freezes, feeling the back of his neck heat up. That's the second time he's said that today. Is he getting sick or something? He grabs a random thing off the floor hastily, trying to forget that just happened. It's a pamphlet or something, and he flips through it absently without actually taking in the words.

"Got it!" Johnny pops back up, holding the phone in the air triumphantly. He's got a big streak of dirt across one cheek, and Max has to forcibly restrain himself from trying to wipe it off. "Y'didn't break it, did ya?" he asks, handing it over.

Max flips it open and inspects the screen. "Nah. You could drive a semi over this thing and it'd be fine." He pointedly ignores the multiple text notifications from Damien, shoving the phone back in his pocket. "Thanks."

"No prob." Johnny looks down at the pamphlet he's holding, eye lighting up. "Hey! I was wonderin' where that went." He taps the cover, the words GENDER IS FAKE scrawled on it in big, blocky letters. "RJ likes makin' zines and stuff and givin' them out."

"Oh." Max flips through a couple pages. "That's pretty cool?"

"Y'can borrow it if y'want." He throws himself down on the bed next to him, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. "Hey. I wanna show ya somethin'."

Max leans over him, mildly suspicious. "Is it anything weird or illegal?"

"No!" Johnny slaps him on the chest, sounding scandalized. "You'll like it."

"Okay, okay!" He holds his hands up in surrender, laughing. "So show me."

"I can't yet." Johnny props himself up on his elbows, and suddenly their faces are way, way too close. Max freezes again, breath catching in his throat. He's all sweaty and fidgety, but he can't move, 'cuz something about this whole situation has him feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Johnny's just staring at him, eyes huge, and Max sees him swallow hard. The room's so hot right now he can barely think straight.

"Uh-" Max forces himself to look away. He sits back, heart hammering. "Why not?"

"'Cuz we gotta- we gotta wait 'til it's dark." Johnny's redder than Max has ever seen him, and he's uncomfortably aware that he's blushing as well. It's just the heat, he tells himself desperately. That's all. It's gotta be. 'Cuz otherwise he doesn't understand what's happening to him.

Maybe he really is sick. Maybe he should just go home.

Max doesn't really want to, though. "Well, that's not suspicious at all," he says dryly, and Johnny frowns at him. "I'm kidding!" he adds hastily. "I wanna see what this thing is."

"Good." Johnny gives him a sharp, toothy grin, and Max tries to ignore the way his heart jumps in response. "You'll like it. Promise."

"Guess I'll just have to trust you on that." Max scoots back quickly as Johnny sits up all the way, so there won't be a repeat of...whatever...happened earlier. He checks the time on his phone, just to have an excuse to look away. "It's only a little after three, though. We got some time to kill."

"Fine with me." Johnny gives him another sharky smile and- _Jesus_ , why does he like that so much? Max swallows, scrambling off the bed. Man, he's really losing it. "Y'wanna watch a movie or somethin'?" Johnny continues, like Max isn't actively turning into a giant puddle of sweat right there in his bedroom.

"Uh-" He clears his throat, awkward and stupidly nervous for some reason. "Sure?" It comes out more like a question than anything else, and he winces internally. Johnny doesn't seem to notice, and Max is more than fine with that.

They end up spending more time talking, squashed together on the tiny couch in the apartment's living room, than actually watching the movie (t's an old horror flick Max's seen about a dozen times) and it's...nice. Johnny doesn't bring up Moros and Max doesn't bring up Forge, and they just talk about normal stuff. Like they're normal kids again.

God, Max wishes he could be a normal kid. His classmates don't have to deal with all this junk- ancient spirits and possession and angels and a war. They don't have to deal with adults keeping secrets from them instead of being leaders, like they're supposed to. Yeah, he got cool powers out of it, but it hardly seems like a fair trade.

"Hey," Johnny says suddenly, interrupting himself mid-story. It'd been something about the time he and his friends had snuck into the Academy and stolen their mascot suit and then spent the rest of the day terrorizing the inhabitants of Mayview with it. Max honestly hadn't really been able to keep up with all the details. "What time is it?"

"Uh." He checks his phone again. "Quarter after six."

"Awesome!" Johnny punches him hard in the shoulder, jumping to his feet.

"Ow!" Max complains, rubbing his arm. "Geez, you're excited."

"Yeah, 'cuz I've been waiting ages for the sun t'set." He grabs Max by the hand and yanks him to his feet. "Let's go. Um." He pauses for a moment. "Y'probably wanna put yer coat an' stuff back on."

Max tugs his hand away, face hot. "We going outside?"

"Yeah."

"Hm. Okay." He shoots him a teasing grin. "Can't I just use you to keep me warm?" He regrets saying it immediately when Johnny goes bright red. "Actually, just- forget I said that," Max adds hastily. "Be right back." He flees, going to retrieve his abandoned coat from boots from the bedroom. That's about the seventh or eighth time today he's stuck his foot in his mouth. Clearly, he's losing his grip on his sanity.

Johnny's waiting by the front door when Max comes back out, bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. "C'mon already!"

"I'm coming!" Max protests, zipping up his jacket and following him out into the hallway. "Okay. Where are you taking me?"

Johnny closes the door and locks it before responding. "To the roof." He points upwards.

Max just stares at him. "Why? No, wait." He holds up a hand, cutting Johnny off. "First of all, how would we even get up there?"

"I got a key." He pulls it out of his pocket and holds it up, shooting him a grin. "I blackmailed the landlord's kid a coupla years back," he says proudly, and Max snorts.

"Somehow I'm not surprised." He tips his head to the side, looking at the key. "What is it with you and roofs? First here was that time at school during the dance, and now this."

"Dunno." Johnny shrugs. "Guess I just like 'em 'cuz nobody'll bother ya up there." He puts a hand on the small of Max's back and shoves him forward. "Get goin'!"

"You gotta stop doing that," Max complains, but complies anyway. They troop towards the staircase and go up three more flights, stopping in front of a door set into the wall of the last landing. There's a sign on it that reads ROOF ACCESS- AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. "Are we breaking and entering again?" he quips lightly, watching Johnny insert the key. "It's like I'm your partner in crime or something."

"I ain't breakin' anythin'!" Johnny says loudly, tips of his ears red. "An' we're exitin'." He elbows Max in the ribs, playfully. "Get it right."

"Sorry," Max snarks back, trying and failing to suppress a grin. "I don't have a lot of experience in criminal activity." He gestures at Johnny. "At least I didn't, 'til I moved here and got mixed up in your shenanigans."

"Y'like my shenanigans, though," Johnny says back, sounding very smug. "Else y'wouldn't hang out with me."

Max laughs at that, shaking his head. "Okay, fine. You got me." He points at the open door and the staircase beyond it. "We going up there or what?"

"Yeah." Johnny takes his hand again and practically drags him up the stairs. Max shivers as the cold night air hits him, breath pluming out in thick white columns. Johnny doesn't stop 'til they're on the middle of the roof, grabbing Max by his shoulders and spinning him around. "Check it out."

Max squints in the darkness. He doesn't see anything particularly interesting. Just the street down below with a car passing by lazily, headlights illuminating the drifting snow. "What am I looking at?"

Johnny smacks him on the back, between the shoulder blades. "Y'gotta look up."

"Wh- oh." He cranes his neck back and stops, eyes going wide. "Wow."

The sky above them's dotted with bright stars, clearer than Max has ever seen them. He's never really been one to pay attention to that kinda stuff, but even he can tell that they definitely look prettier here than they did back in Baxborough. Light pollution, or something like that. "This is what you wanted to show me?"

"Uh-" Max looks over at him just in time to see him glance away. "Yeah," Johnny admits, sounding kinda embarrassed. "It's kinda stupid, but you're never over here this late, so-"

"It's not stupid," Max interrupts. "I like it. They're pretty." He turns his gaze back to the sky. "You come up here a lot or something?"

"Yeah," Johnny says again. "I used to-" He cuts himself off, sticking his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders.

"Used to what?" Max prompts.

"I-" He hesitates again. "Y'can't make fun of me if I tell ya, okay?"

Max just blinks at him. "Why would I?"

"'Cuz it's - it's-" He kicks at the ground, snow melting underfoot. "when I was a kid I used t'be really into constellations an' stuff and I used t'come up here after me an' my dad moved and just - I'd get really mad so - so-" He turns away, and Max can tell that he's blushing even in the darkness. "I used t'talk to the stars an' stuff," he mumbles quietly. "I know it's dumb, okay?" Johnny adds defensively, looking back at him. "So don't - don't laugh."

"I'm not." Max fights back a smile, 'cuz that whole mental image is really - well - it's _cute._ He doesn't want to embarrass him any further, though, so keeps his face neutral. "So," he says, tipping his head back again and thinking about the old glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling of Johnny's bedroom, "show me some constellations." Max knows the Big Dipper, but that's pretty much it.

Johnny lights up. "Orion's the easiest t'see." He points at the sky. "Y'see those three stars right there, in a line?"

"Uhhh." Max scans the stars, trying to figure out where he's pointing. "No?"

Johnny nudges the side of Max's face with his knuckles, turning his head. "Y'see 'em now?"

"Um." He swallows, getting sweaty again. He ignores the feeling, squinting at the sky, where he can just barely make out a row of three stars. "Oh, yeah. There they are."

"That's his belt," Johnny says right into his ear, and Max feels his heart rate pick up. "The rest of his body's around it."

"Right," Max says faintly, pretending he can see it. He can't decide if he wants to lean away from Johnny, to see if that'll get his heart to freaking calm down, or stay because he's cold. He ends up just freezing in place, not even breathing. Johnny finally backs up a bit, and Max lets out a relieved sigh, quickly sucking in a huge breath. "Any other cool ones?"

Johnny pauses for a moment, thinking. "I really like Hercules too, but y'can only really see him in the summer." He smacks Max on the shoulder. "Y'can see his arrow, though. Up there." He points at what looks like absolutely nothing. "Y'see all those stars in a row? That's Sagitta."

"Sagittarius?"

"Nah, that's somethin' different." He shakes his head. "Sagitta's the arrow Hercules used t'kill the eagle that was bothering Prometheus. Y'know, the guy that stole fire?"

Max looks at him. "How do you know all this stuff?"

"RJ's big into mythology," Johnny says back. "Guess I just kinda picked up on it too." He stares at the stars for a while. "RJ also told me that in the old Greek myths and stuff Prometheus was the one who beat Moros."

Max laughs a bit at that, the sound coming out more bitter than anticipated. "Wow, I sure could use him right about now. Wonder if he was actually a spirit too?" He chews on his lip. "How'd he beat him?"

Johnny glances over at him. "He gave people hope and then they weren't so scared of him, or somethin'."

"How, though?"

"I don't-" He crosses his arms, looking at the ground. "I dunno. I could ask RJ for you."

"Yeah." Max closes his eyes. "That'd be great. Thanks." He stays like that for a moment, in the quiet and cold and dark. He can feel Johnny standing next to him, a comforting warmth. Max is struck by the sudden urge to reach out and hold it - like, _really_ hold it, and he swallows, freaked out. "What kinda stuff did you tell the stars?" he asks suddenly, opening his eyes and shoving his hands into his jacket pockets before he can do anything impulsive.

Johnny looks thrown off-guard. "Just - just stupid stuff. Like how mad I was at my folks or- or if I had a bad dream about the fire again."

"Hm." Max lets out a long, slow breath, staring at Orion's belt. "Can I tell them something?"

"If ya want? It's not like I own 'em or anythin'."

He's quiet for a long moment, trying to work up the courage to say what he wants to say. It's something he hasn't told anyone in years- definitely nothing that anybody in Mayview would know anything about. "I..." Max trails off, suddenly feeling like he's about to cry. "I watched my mom die."

He hears Johnny take in a sharp breath next to him. "What?"

"I told you she died when I was seven, right?" He closes his eyes again, pressing on before he can respond. "I was out with my friends. We were at the Hole Pit, just messing around. I was - I'd been bugging my mom about it earlier, asking her to come with, but she said she couldn't. I guess she changed her mind? 'Cuz - cuz I saw her driving up and-" He stops, throat burning. "She always drove her motorcycle everywhere 'cuz she really loved it and- and-" Max trails off, an ache in his chest. God, he can't do this.

“Y’don’t have to keep talkin’ if it’s hard, y’know,” Johnny says, filling the silence.

He shakes his head. “No, I want to.” Needs to. He waits a few more seconds, ‘til he’s sure his voice won’t shake. "Someone ran a red light," Max says, so quietly he doesn’t know if he actually said it out loud. "They hit her."

"Jesus." Johnny sounds stunned. "Max-"

"And I don't know how, but," he interrupts, desperate to get the whole story out, "her motorcycle caught on fire? And I couldn't - I climbed the fence and I tried to get to her but someone stopped me, and-" He shakes his head again, dimly aware that he's crying now. God, it still _hurts_ , even after five and a half years. Max can still hear the squealing of tires and the ugly crunch of metal and the crackling of the fire. It's not something he's ever going to forget. "They wouldn't let me go to her. I don't- I don't remember who it was. Some random lady. She just held me 'til the cops and my dad got there."

He can still hear himself screaming 'mom' over and over 'til his voice gave out.

Max wipes at his eyes, biting his lip, trying to keep himself from crying even harder. He lets out a tiny gasp as Johnny grabs him suddenly, pulling him into a crushing hug. Okay, that does it. Max feels his face screw up and he presses it into Johnny's chest, breaking down. This is - this is why he doesn't talk about it. It took a couple years of therapy just for him to be able to _function._

"I'm sorry," Johnny mumbles after a couple minutes. "That's- I didn't know."

"Yeah, well." Max sniffles a bit, embarrassment creeping up on him. "Nobody here does except for my family. And you." He's been thinking about telling Isabel about it someday, but it's not exactly something that's easy to bring up. He pulls back a bit, giving him a watery smile. "Sorry for getting your shirt all wet."

"It'll dry," Johnny says very seriously, and Max laughs. It's more snotty than he likes. He's gotta look like a mess right now. "Y'doin' okay?"

Max shrugs a shoulder. "I'll be fine."

"But are ya okay right now?" Johnny asks again, frowning at him.

"I don't-" He hesitates. "I don't know. I just - I don't _know_ ." He leans his forehead against Johnny's shoulder, one of those shuddering, post-cry sighs escaping him. "I don't know," Max mumbles again. "I wish I did." He's not even sure if he's talking about how he's feeling right now, or how he's feeling about - about _everything._ He holds his breath and lets it out slowly, counting to three, then draws back. "You can let go of me now." He tries for a joking tone, but it falls flat.

Johnny jerks away like he's been stung. "Sorry," he mutters, glancing away.

Max suppresses a shiver. Geez, he shouldn't have said anything. Now he's freezing. "No, it's fine. Um." He pauses, face flushing. "Thanks, though." He looks up at Johnny, frowning slightly. "Hey. Did you get taller?"

"Uhh...I dunno?"

Max takes a step back, studying him. "You definitely did, dude." He punches him in the stomach, lightly. "Cut that out. You're making me feel short."

"Maybe 'cuz ya are!" Johnny retorts. "Not my fault I hit my growth spurt before ya did!" He goes to punch him back and Max laughs, catching his hand and holding it still.

"Oh, is that why you're so hungry all the time?" He teases, smiling at him. Max is suddenly acutely aware that Johnny's hand is a lot bigger than his own too, and something nervous kicks up in his stomach. He drops it hastily, returning his own hands to his jacket pockets. "Seriously, though," he says quickly, trying to change the subject. "Thanks for - for listening. And, um." Max rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. "I'm gonna say something like, super cheesy, so don't laugh, okay?"

"Okay?" Johnny just sounds confused.

Max looks up, and he _knows_ he's got a stupid, sappy expression on his face, but he can't stop it. "You're my Prometheus."

Johnny stares at him, going beet red. "I'm - _what?_ "

"'Cuz-" He looks up, feeling himself blush too. "'Cuz you make me feel like stuff's not so bad. Which is basically the same thing as hope, right?" He elbows him in the side. "Plus, you got the whole fire theme going on too." This is literally the worst, most mushy thing he's ever said in his entire life. Why is he even saying this? Please don't think it's weird, Max prays feverently. Please.

"Oh," Johnny says, voice slightly strangled. "Thanks?"

"Yeah." God, he can't even look at him right now. Max checks his phone. Geez, it's almost eight already? "Uh, I'd better get going," he says hastily. "It's getting pretty late, so..." He trails off, feeling awkward and weirdly jittery.

"Want me t'walk with ya?"

"Um-" He waffles for a moment. Max still can't believe that he'd just said all...that...but Johnny doesn't seem to be bothered by it. "Sure." He gives him a little smile. "You can point out some more constellations."

"Y'don't get as good a view on the ground." Johnny grins back. "But sure, if ya want. I know a whole bunch of 'em."

"I've noticed." Max starts for the exit. He frowns when he sees that they left the door open, a light dusting of snow coating the carpet. Oops. "How'd you even get into that kinda stuff?"

"Uh, I don't remember?" Johnny follows him down the stairs, actually shutting the door this time and locking it. "Just always thought it was kinda cool, I guess."

"Well, you're not wrong." The sappy expression's back on his face, he just knows it. "Thanks for taking me up there." He bumps Johnny's shoulder with his own. "I really appreciate it."

Johnny ducks his head, pushing him forward. "Um, yeah. Don't mention it." He clears his throat loudly. "Let's just - let's just get ya home, okay?"

"Okay," Max says meekly, distracted by Johnny's hand on his back. He can feel how warm he is, even through his coat. He shakes his head sharply and pulls away. Geez, all that crying must've fried his brain or something. "Let's go."

Max takes the stairs down at a brisk pace, his Prometheus following right behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's just metaphors all the way down


	42. pyrophyte

Zoey's at the counter when Max wanders down the stairs, ready to leave for school. He blinks at her, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You're up early."

"Dad woke me up 'cuz he knocked over a whole shelf of candy," she says absently, focused on the piece of paper in front of her. It looks like she's drawing something. "Didn't you hear it?"

"Uh..." Max pauses, thinking. "No?" Wow, he really must've been out cold. He's just been exhausted lately.

"Lucky," Zoey grumbles, covering a yawn. "There were candy hearts  _ everywhere _ . I saved one for you." She picks a brightly colored piece of candy up off the counter and throws it at him. Max automatically goes to catch it but misses, and the heart bounces sadly off his hand onto the floor.

He stares down at it for a bit before scooping it up. "You rock," he says, reading the message out loud. "Aw. Are you saying you actually love me?" Max teases, pocketing the candy.

Zoey sticks her tongue out at him. "I'm taking it back."

"No, it's too late." He puts a hand on his chest. “We have a sibling bond now, and that kinda stuff is eternal.”

She rolls her eyes, but he can tell she’s trying to hold back a smile. “Shut  _ up _ , Maxwell.”

“Fine.” He leans over her shoulder, looking down at the drawing. "Whatcha making?" There's two stick figures holding hands - he thinks they are, anyway, 'cuz it's kinda hard to tell with Zoey's drawing skills - surrounded by a bunch of hearts.

"What do you think?" She gives him an exasperated look, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a Valentine's Day card. I'm gonna give it to a boy in my class that I like."

Max stares at her. "Zoey, you're six. How the heck do even have a crush on anyone?"

"Hey!" She protests loudly, jabbing the marker she's holding towards him. "He's cool and really smart and he also runs really fast, okay?" She pouts at him, and Max raises his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay! Geez." He shakes his head. "I just don't get the appeal of Valentine's Day, alright?" He's kinda dreading whatever the school has planned for it, 'cuz knowing this town, it's bound to be ridiculously weird.

"Maybe you would if you weren't so dumb," Zoey mumbles, folding the paper in half and writing TO: YOU, FROM: ZOEY on the front.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He crosses his arms, offended.

She just gives him an innocent smile in response. "Nothing!"

"Right," Max says dubiously, but he doesn't press it. It's probably just her messing with him anyway. "I gotta go," he tells her, starting off. "Have fun being mushy with your boyfriend."

"You too!" Zoey calls after him, voice amused. Max just walks faster, not even bothering to dignify that with a response. He feels his face heat up despite himself. What the heck does he even have to be blushing about? He shakes his head again, grateful for the cool air outside. Momentarily, anyway.

He stands on the corner for a minute, looking up at the sky. It's snowing again, which isn't unusual. What  _ is  _ unusual is the sheer number of spirits out and about. Max squints at them as he starts down the sidewalk. Why are so many of them pink? He sidesteps a cluster of multi-legged, furry blobs chasing each other around in circles, biting back a yelp as one of them dives for his ankle, needle-sharp teeth bared. He picks up the pace, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Geez, it's freezing today. Max finds himself wishing Johnny was here, and for some reason that makes his heart do a weird little jerk.

Cut it out, he tells himself sternly. You're walking to school alone today.

He does really wish Johnny was here, though. Not just 'cuz of his heat - which is a nice bonus that Max shamelessly takes advantage of - but also 'cuz he just likes hanging out with him. "He's probably with his friends," Max mutters to himself, jumping over another spirit blocking the sidewalk. 

Which is fine. That's what he usually does, anyway, especially since the Club doesn't really do morning patrols anymore. Or evening patrols. Or anything, really. They've been spending all their time trying to figure out Spender's secrets, and Max is frankly getting tired of coming up with nothing but dead ends. He'd have thought that Suzy would have at least found out something by now.

A little winged spirit flutters by him, holding a bow. "Don't you dare," Max says warningly as it aims an arrow at him, his hand immediately going towards the bat in his backpack. "Trust me, I am not in the mood." The spirit lowers the bow hastily and flies off. "Yeah, you better run!" Max yells after it. "You-" he cuts himself off, realizing that he's just walked into the school courtyard and there are a bunch of kids staring at him. He ducks his head, embarrassed, and makes a beeline for the front doors. 

He's assaulted with confetti the moment he steps inside. Max spits out a piece and glares up at Jeff, who's standing on a chair by the door, holding a big metal bucket. "What are you doing?"

"The Student Council's going all out for Valentine's Day this year," he says cheerfully, sprinkling more confetti over Max. He's got bits of it stuck in his hair. "Cody asked me to do this and I said sure 'cuz it's actually kinda fun!" He holds the bucket out. "Wanna try?"

"Absolutely not," Max deadpans, brushing the front of his jacket down. The dang stuff doesn't want to come off, and he grimaces at his glittery hands. "Why are they so into this?"

Jeff shrugs. "Probably 'cuz of the flower sale. That's where the Council gets most of their money from each year." He reaches into the bucket again and Max dives away before he can throw any more of the tiny plastic hearts at him.

"Right," he says, when he's a safe distance away. "Have fun with that." Max doesn't even bother asking what the flower sale is, 'cuz right now he just wants to get into the relative safety of Mr. Starchman's classroom. He opts to keep his jacket on too, since he's still kinda cold. And because he doesn't want to risk taking a detour to his locker and getting tangled up in whatever else the Student Council is up to today.

He's the first one there, which figures. School doesn't start for another - he checks the clock - ten minutes yet. Max swings his backpack off and sits down at his desk, eyeing the bits of confetti stuck to his arms. He tries rubbing them off, but they refuse to budge.

"Jeff get you too?" Max looks up at the voice to see Violet entering the classroom, equally confettified.

"Yeah." He gives the glittery hearts one last glare. "Does this happen every year?"

"Pretty much." She sits down in the desk next to him. "You're here early."

"So are you," Max points out. "Aren't you usually in the store with Lisa before school starts?"

She opens her mouth and then closes it again, like she can't think of what to say. "Right," Violet mumbles eventually, toying with a stray piece of confetti. "Well. Maybe I wanted to talk to you."

Max stares at her, suddenly nervous. "About what?"

"About-" Violet cuts off, shaking her head and letting out a loud exhale. "I don't even know." She bites her lip, leaning in towards him. "Look, I talked to Johnny last week-"

"You did?" Max interrupts, surprised. He hadn't said anything about that.

"-and he was like, freaked out, okay?" she continues, like he hadn't said anything. "I just - what's going on? Seriously. I know I said I didn't want to know, but..." She drums her fingers on the desk, face going a little red as she glances away. "I'm getting kinda worried. I mean, you look like you're dying half the time." Violet gestures at him, and Max frowns at her.

"Gee, thanks," he retorts sarcastically. "I'm just..." he trails off, struggling for words. What is he even supposed to say? That he's possessed by an ancient god of despair and yeah, of course he's not gonna look or feel great? "I'm just tired," Max says finally. At least that much is true. "It's not, um. It's not easy having these powers or - or dealing with what we have to deal with."

Violet turns to face him all the way, crossing her arms. "Okay. What exactly are you dealing with?"

Max just barely suppresses the urge to laugh. There's the million dollar question. "God, I wish I knew." He presses a palm to his forehead, feeling the frustration bubble up again. "Nobody will tell me anything, 'cuz all the stupid adults in this whole stupid town are more concerned with keeping secrets than actually being useful!" The words come out more savagely than intended, and he regrets saying anything when Violet blinks, looking startled. "Sorry," he mumbles, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down.

"It's okay." She gives him a weak smile. "Actually, hold on." She bends down and rifles through her backpack, pulling out a ziplock bag of candy and handing him a piece. "Here. Maybe that'll make you a little less grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," Max grumbles, but he takes it anyway. He's not gonna pass up the opportunity to indulge his sweet tooth. "Do you always carry this stuff around with you?" He waves the candy in the air for emphasis.

Violet gives him a withering look. "Of course not. It's for-" She stops, flushing. "It's- forget it!" she says loudly, stuffing the bag back in her backpack. Max blinks, perplexed, but doesn't question it.

"Thanks," he says, and she nods. The classroom's starting to fill up now, and they both turn towards the front. Max spots Jeff and he tenses, ready to flee in case he's going to try and bombard him again. Then he notices he doesn't have the confetti bucket with him and relaxes. He's safe - for now, anyway. He shoots quick glance at the empty desk next to him, wondering where Ed is. Did something spectral business happen this morning that he missed out on?

The door slams against the wall suddenly, and Max jumps. "Good morning, class!" Mr. Starchman bellows as he barges in. "It's a very special day today, yes it is! And..." He pauses dramatically, the entire room falling silent as they watch him in anticipation. "We have a special delivery!" He leans out the door and flaps both hands vigorously, beckoning someone in.

"Oh my God," Max says under his breath, trying and failing to keep a straight face as Collin enters slowly, holding what looks like a bunch of flowers, stems individually wrapped in brown paper. They make eye contact and Max raises an eyebrow at him, pointing at the flowers.

Collin just shakes his head, looking embarrassed. 'Cody asked', he mouths, shrugging slightly. He stumbles forward as Mr. Starchman slaps him on the back, practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Everyone please pay close attention!" He calls, digging a piece of paper out of his pocket. He adjusts his glasses and clears his throat. "Ahem! Please come up and take your flower if I say your name."

Max leans across the aisle to Violet, watching one of his classmates get called up. "What's going on?"

She stares at him. "It's the Valentine's Day flower sale? You buy a flower for someone and they'll deliver it during class." Max gives her a blank look and she sighs in exasperation. "How did you not know about this? There’s been posters all over the place for weeks!"

"Hey, I've got a lot going on, okay?" he protests loudly, and a few neighboring kids turn to look at him. He ducks his head, flushing.

"Didn't they do stuff like this at your old school?"

"Well, yeah," Max admits, "but I never really paid much attention-"

"Max!" Mr. Starchman booms, interrupting him. "Come on up!"

Max just freezes, horrified. Oh, no way.  _ No way. _ There's gotta be some kinda mistake. What's - someone bought a flower for  _ him? _ He casts a desperate glance at Violet, who just smirks back at him.

"Better go get your flower," she says, motioning towards the front of the room with her head.

"I don't want it!" Max hisses back, uncomfortably aware that everyone's staring at him. He flinches as Mr. Starchman yells his name again. Jesus -  _ fine. _ He grits his teeth and very, very slowly drags himself to his feet. Max shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and stalks his way over to Collin, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the ground the whole time. God, this is such a stupid idea. Who even came up with this?

"Don't even say anything," he mutters to Collin as he approaches, cheeks burning.

"I wasn't going to." He frowns at him as he hands a flower over. Max very gingerly takes it and hightails it back to his desk, throwing himself into it and pressing his face into his hands. This is going down in the record as one of his Top Ten most embarrassing moments, right behind-

"Aw, it's white." Violet sounds disappointed and Max looks up at her, brows furrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your flower." She nods at it. "It's white."

Max eyes it. He's not exactly a plant expert, but even he knows it's a rose. "So?"

"White's for friendship." Violet leans her elbows on her desk, pointing at someone a few rows over. "See that? Pink. That means whoever sent the flower is crushing." Max twists around to look at the person she pointed out. Their rose is pink, and so is their face.

He glances back down at his own, feeling slightly better about this whole situation. Okay, if a white rose means friendship, that probably just means Isabel sent it. Or maybe Johnny, his brain provides unhelpfully. Max shoots that thought down. Definitely not. That's not his style.

Right?

He shakes his head, trying to focus. "Why did you sound so disappointed that I have friends?" He arches an eyebrow in Violet's direction.

"I did not," she retorts immediately

He's about to argue the point when Mr. Starchman claps his hands loudly. "Well, that way fun! Now it's time for something even funner: English!" The whole class groans and he ignores them, going to the whiteboard. Max gives Violet one last look before stuffing the rose into his backpack and pulling out his notebook.

This better be everything this school's doing for Valentine's Day, Max thinks firmly, trying to concentrate on the lecture. 'Cuz if he has to put up with any more weird, mushy, romantic stuff he's going to jump out the window for real. He just doesn't understand why people get so into this holiday.

Class drags by slowly as usual, and he's relieved when the bell rings. He shoves his stuff into his bag, squashing the rose, then feels bad. Isabel might've sent it, after all. Max pulls it out and does his best to straighten the bent petals.

"Guys, check it out!" Jeff says excitedly, racing over to them. "Someone sent me a flower!" He holds it up, and Max blinks in surprise when he sees that it's pink. That means…

"Wow, Jeff, that's great!" Violet exclaims, smiling at him. Her face goes a little red, and Max gives her a suspicious look. She just glares back at him, standing up.

"I can't believe someone out there - I mean - well - you know!" Jeff stammers, staring at the flower. "I wonder who it is?"

Violet shrugs lightly. "Too bad it's anonymous. Hey, why don't you go tell Cody, alright?" She nudges him towards the door and he lights up.

"Oh, yeah! He'll be psyched too!" Jeff holds the rose to his chest like it's something fragile. "See ya guys later!"

Max watches him dart towards the door before looking up at Violet. "Did you-" he cuts off with a startled yelp as she slams her hand down on his desk, leaning in.

"If you say anything to him I will break into your house and murder you in your sleep," she threatens, staring him down. "Lisa knows where you live."

He holds his hands up in meek surrender. "I'm not gonna!"

"Good." She straightens up and adjusts her backpack, then turns to go, leaving Max alone in the classroom. He just sits there for a moment, utterly bewildered. The warning bell jerks him back into reality and he groans, getting up. He's still got six more periods left of this nonsense. Great.

Violet's already at her desk when he gets to Mr. Garcia's room, talking with Lisa. They both give him matching smirks that he definitely does  _ not _ like as he sits down. "Hey," Max says cautiously, "would you actually murder me?"

She rolls her eyes with a scoff. "Who do you think I am?"

"Not...murdery?" he offers. He's got a mental list of people in this school most likely to kill him (the top spot is occupied by Suzy) but Violet's never been a possibility before. Lisa, yeah, but not her. Maybe he should change that.

"I was joking." She crosses her arms, looking away. "But really, though. Please don't tell him."

"I already said I wasn't." Max couldn't care less about crushes and stuff like that. It's not something he wants to get mixed up in. It's not something he ever wants to experience, because all a crush does is make you lose your mind and say dumb stuff.

"Hey, Max." Lisa leans around Violet, giving him a wink. "How many roses have you gotten yet?"

"Uh, just one. Wait." He narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. "What do you mean  _ yet? _ "

Lisa just smiles and mimes locking her mouth and throwing away the key. Max suppresses the urge to groan and turns to the front of the room. That had better not mean anything.

Mr. Garcia's passed out at his desk, like usual. He only barely stirs when the bell rings. Max is just starting to think that he might've actually died for real when he sits up slowly, rubbing at his eyes. There's a knock at the door and he mumbles something incoherent, getting up and opening it. A student Max doesn't recognizes comes in, holding more stupid flowers.

"Oh, boy, Valentine's Day," Mr. Garcia says flatly, taking the piece of paper the deliverer hands him. "You guys know how hard is to celebrate when you're dating someone who's allergic to flowers and chocolate?"

"Mr. Spender's allergic to chocolate?" Max blurts out before he can stop himself.

Violet shoots him an incredulous look. "Wait, Mr. Spender and Mr. Garcia are dating?"

"Uh," is all he says in response, guiltily. Luckily nobody else besides her and Lisa - who, if he’s being real, probably already knew - seem to have heard. "No comment."

Mr. Garcia yawns loudly, handing the paper back. "Here. You can go pass those out. I don't want the pollen getting on me."

Please don't give me any, Max thinks fervently, watching them approach. He breathes a sigh of relief as he passes by his desk without stopping, then chokes as he suddenly turns back around. "Hey, you're Max, right? Max Puckett?"

"Yeah," he grumbles, holding out his hand in resignation. He ends up with not one, not two, but five whole flowers. They're white, thank God, but  _ still. _ He stares at them incredulously as deliverer leaves to go bother someone else. "Am I being punked?"

"Either that or you're super popular," Violet says dryly. She looks like she wants to laugh and he shoots her a betrayed glare. "What?" She gestures at him. "It's true. You've got like, a weirdly magnetic personality."

He can't stop himself from flicking a quick glance at his bat. "Right," he says, weakly. Violet follows his gaze and frowns, but doesn't comment. She just shakes her head and turns to Lisa, ignoring him. Max scoops up all the flowers and shoves them in his backpack. Geez, if he gets any more, he's not gonna have room for them. But he won't, hopefully.

He spoke too soon.

By the time lunch rolls around, Max has twenty-seven flowers crammed into his backpack. They're all white, but man - he doesn't even think he knows twenty-seven people at this school. Maybe some of them are from people who want to be friends? There's gotta be better ways to express that sentiment than by sending roses, 'cuz frankly, he's starting to get sick of it.

"What are you so grumpy for?" Isabel asks him, mouth half-full of mac n' cheese. "Didn't get any flowers?"

Max sighs noisily. "I got too many." He eyes her. “Which you would’ve known if you were actually in art today.”

“Sorry.” She shrugs. “I had to take Ed to the nurse this morning. One of those archery spirits got him,” she mimes shooting an arrow, “and then he fell down the stairs after professing his love to the drinking fountain.”

“Is he okay?” Max asks, even more grateful he’d scared that spirit off earlier.

Isabel waves a hand. “Oh, yeah. He’s just napping, so I’m gonna pick him up after school.” She leans in with a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m planning their wedding. I’m thinking June? Hey!” Isabel slaps him on the arm. “Maybe you and the Ghost Train can have a joint wedding with them!”

“Do not  _ start _ that again,” Max groans loudly. 

There’s a clatter as Isaac sets his tray down, joining them. “What’s going on?”

“Max is all cranky ‘cuz he hates love-”

“I do not!” He interjects. “I’m just - look at this!”

"Wha-" She stops as he picks his backpack up from the ground and unzips it, dumping roses all over the table. "Oh my God."

Isaac leans in, eyes wide. "I think you just broke some kinda record." He pokes at a rose and a leaf falls off. "Oh man, sorry."

Max presses his cheek into his palm, eyeing the various stems and petals covering the surface of the table. "What am I even going to do with all of these?"

"Get lots of vases?" Isaac suggests, and Isabel laughs, choking slightly.

"Well, at least you got ours," she says when she's got her breath back. "I was kinda worried for a sec 'cuz you looked so annoyed." She picks up a flower and shakes it. "Dunno where the rest of them came from, though."

"You guys want some?" Max offers, hastily. He feels kinda bad about not getting some for the rest of the Club know, even if he didn't know this was a thing.

"Max!" Isaac sounds scandalized. "You can't just give them away! People gave these to you because they like you! As a person, I mean." He adds that last bit quickly. "You'd be hurting their feelings."

"Well, they don't have to know!" he protests. Isaac frowns at him and he sighs again. 

"Okay, okay. Fine. You're right." He starts gathering the roses back up, making sure to put them away with care this time. It is kinda touching that this many people like him enough to send him flowers, honestly. He just wishes it wasn't so embarrassing. "Did you guys get any?" he asks, trying to change the subject.

Isaac brushes a stray petal off the table. "Yeah, I got a bunch. Not as many as you, though."

"Me too," Isabel chimes in. "I even got a pink one! Oh, and this." She rummages in her bag for a moment, pulling out a flower. "Check it out. Someone spray-painted this sucker black." She points at the rose clenched in her first.

Max and Isaac both stare at it. It really does look like it was spray-painted. Whoever did it missed some spots, though, 'cuz he can see bits of pink underneath. "Wow," he deadpans, finally.

Isaac leans forward, squinting. "Is black supposed to be like, the opposite of white? Anti-friendship?"

"Pretty sure that's just called hatred, Isaac," Max says dryly, and he frowns at him.

"Shut upppp."

"I'm just saying!" He shoots him a teasing grin before looking at Isabel. "Do you have like, an arch-nemesis or something I don't know about?"

"I have no idea." She shrugs, apparently nonplussed. "That'd be kinda cool though. Like I was a superhero or something." She twists the rose around a couple of times, studying it, then puts it away. "So," Isabel says with a fake casualness that immediate makes Max suspicious, steepling her fingers. "You didn't get a pink rose yet?"

"Why does everyone keep saying  _ yet? _ " he complains, his face betraying him by going red. "But for your information, no, I haven't, and I hope I don't!" He'd die for real if that happened.

"Why not?"

"’Cuz - 'cuz - what do you mean, why not?" he splutters, blushing even harder. "It's embarrassing! What would I even do if someone told me they liked me?"

"What if it was someone you liked back?" She points at him with her fork.

"I don't like anyone!" Max exclaims in exasperation. God, why do people keep bugging him about this?

Isabel lets out an exasperated huff. "Max, you are so-"

"I don't want to talk about this, okay?" he interrupts, scowling at her. "Can we just drop it, please?"

She exchanges a glance with Isaac and then shrugs, taking another bite of macaroni. "Suit yourself." She nudges him under the table with her foot. "Hey, by the way. What's - uh." She snaps her fingers. "The shadow spirit. I forgot its name."

"Moros," Max says quietly.

"Yeah. Is it still asleep?"

He nods, propping his chin up in his hand. "Mhm. I can still feel him, though. He's just not doing anything." Max closes his eyes, letting himself focus on the ache in the back of his head. "I dunno how long this spell's gonna last for," he mumbles, sitting up and looking at Isabel.

She reaches over and pats his hand. "We'll figure it out, okay? Don't worry."

"I'm not worrying," Max lies. He's absolutely worrying. He worries so much that he winds up giving himself a stomach ache most days. Isabel raises an eyebrow at him and he recants, biting his lip. "Okay, fine. Maybe I am a little."

Isabel sits back with a loud sigh. "Can't blame you." She gets to her feet, picking up her tray. "Look, we're gonna get to the bottom of this. All of us." She punches Isaac in the shoulder and he drops his fork, startled. "Just leave it to me."

"Ow," Isaac says mildly, rubbing his arm. "How, though? We don't have any clues."

Isabel opens her mouth and then closes it again, frowning. "You said that weird angel spirit gave you guys like, calling cards or something? We could try those, ask her some questions. I'm pretty sure she knows more than she's letting on."

"I dunno," Max says doubtfully. "She said they'd only show up when we really needed them. But it's worth a shot," he adds hastily at Isabel's dejected look. "I'll let you know if I find one of the feathers, okay?"

"Me too," Isaac chimes in.

"Great." She grins at them. "See? Now we're onto something. We-" The bell drowns out the rest of her sentence. Max winces, the shrillness of it making his headache worse. He stands up, about to swing his backpack on when Isabel puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Max," she says, very seriously. "Morning patrol tomorrow. You and me."

He blinks at her, surprised. "I thought we weren't doing those anymore?"

She shrugs, dropping her hand and taking a step back. "Maybe we should start again. Plus, y'know," she elbows him in the ribs, "I feel like we never hang out anymore 'cuz Johnny's always monopolizing you."

"He does not!" Max shoots back automatically, face getting hot again. Yeah, sure, they spend a lot of time together, but that's what friends do.

"Uh-huh." Isabel gives him a smirk. "Then I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow you for a bit." She slaps him on the chest. "Gotta get to class! See ya guys later."

He stares after her as she leaves. "I really don't understand her sometimes," he tells Isaac, who just shrugs. Max sighs and shakes his head, heading towards the cafeteria doors. Only half a day left.

Max ends up with so many dang flowers by last period that both his backpack and his locker are packed. He can't even get his backpack to close all the way, and he knows people are staring at him as he makes his way down the hall. He just walks faster, desperately trying to avoid eye contact, and practically throws himself into the shop classroom. He drops his bag and kicks it under the table, hopping up on a stool.

"Wow," Dimitri drawls, his usual lazy smile in place. "Did you rob the florist on your way here?"

Max puts his face down on the pitted surface of the table and groans. "I don't know why I got so many!" He turns his head slightly, peering up at Dimitri suspiciously. "This is some kinda prank, isn't it? Did Suzy do this?"

He snorts, smile turning into something more genuine. "I think people just like you. You got really famous after the Hitball Incident, you know."

"I did?" Max sits up slightly, brows furrowed. He'd been under the impression most of the school thought he was a weirdo like the rest of the Club.

"Mm." Dimitri nods. He bends down, looking under the table and letting out an impressed whistle. "That really is a lot of flowers, though."

"Tell me about it," Max deadpans. "You get any?"

"A few." He glances around furtively, then leans in. "Suzy's been trying to catch you all day. She wants to write an article on the person who broke the record for most flowers received. That's you," he adds, helpfully. "In case you didn't know."

"No way, I never would've guessed," he says sarcastically, and Dimitri laughs. Max pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. Great, now he's gotta figure out how to get outta here without running into Suzy. Max eyes the windows on the far wall. Maybe...

Dimitri follows his gaze, raising an eyebrow. "Those don't open more than a couple inches."

"Dang it!" Max slumps forward again. He kicks his foot against the leg of the stool a few times, looking at him. "Okay, I've been wondering. Why do you even hang out with her? She's so..." he pauses. "Y'know. Suzy-ish."

He hesitates, orange spectral energy wafting off him. "I guess she just...amuses me." He grimaces. "That sounds weird. I don't know." Dimitri shrugs again, looking away. "I feel like I belong more in the Journalism Club than I ever did in the Activity Club." 

He crosses his arms, fingers digging into his sides. "Suzy pounced on me after I left, asked if I wanted to join her club. She wanted the inside scoop." One corner of his mouth quirks up. "And I was so mad at the Activity Club that I did. And I guess I just...stayed."

"You told her what the Activity Club actually does?" Max asks, incredulous.

"Of course not." Dimitri rolls his eyes, turning back to him. "I gave her the run-around. Said I wasn't in it long enough to find out." He frowns slightly. "Except Isabel's going to spill everything now."

"If Suzy actually comes up with anything," Max points out.

"Yeah. If." He goes quiet, and there's an awkward, tense silence.

"Um," Max starts after about a minute. "If I asked what happened-"

"No." The answer's sharp and curt.

"Okay," he says quickly, relieved when the bell rings again. He faces the front as Coach Oop strides in, holding several large pieces of wood. One of them nearly smacks into the head of a girl sitting by the door, and she ducks hastily. Max doesn't see Johnny anywhere, and he tries to ignore the sinking, disappointed feeling that gives him. Coach Oop probably just has him doing something in the office.

"Alright, babies!" He bellows as he slaps the wood down on his desk. "We're going to keep working on our birdhouses today! I want-" He cuts off as someone Max vaguely recognizes as being on the Student Council enters, holding a bunch of flowers. "What do you want?" Coach Oop barks at him, and he takes a step back, nervously.

"U-um- flower delivery? For the, um, Valentine's Day sale?"

Coach Oop just grumbles in response, flapping a hand. "Fine. Just make it quick." The Student Council member nods rapidly, peering at a piece of paper clenched in his hand.

"Oh, fantastic," Max mutters. With his luck he's going to end up with about a gazillion more. He's very seriously considering getting up and hiding under the table just to get out of it. He meets Dimitri's gaze and smiles weakly. "Bet you five bucks I get one."

"Good thing I'm not a gambler," he drawls back as a rose thwaps against the table. Max groans loudly, going to pick it up so he can stuff it in his backpack with the others. He freezes with his hand halfway extended, eyes going wide in horror.

It's pink.

He stares at it, frozen. No way.  _ No way. _ This has to be some kinda joke. A trick. It has to be. 'Cuz otherwise that means - that means-

Max snatches it up and hides it on his lap under the table, pressing his hands to the sides of his head. Okay, calm down.  _ Calm down. _ Quit freaking out. It doesn't mean anything, he tells himself. It doesn't.

But it does.

What - who in this school could possibly  _ like _ him? Who's got - what - God, he's so freaking confused.

"You okay?" Dimitri whispers to him, and Max nods, not trusting himself to speak. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, trying to compose himself. Okay, so someone's got a crush on him. Maybe. It still might be a joke. And even if it's not, it's fine.  _ It's fine. _

It's just - he doesn't even know who sent it. For a moment he wonders if Isabel might've, as a joke, but he dismisses the thought. That seems too mean for her. Max shakes his head violently, grabbing his backpack and sticking the flower in with the rest of them. Just forget about it. Concentrate on class.

He fails spectacularly at both those things. Max spends the rest of shop obsessively thinking about the fact that someone apparently has a crush on him, so much that he barely gets any work done on his project. Which is okay, he supposes. It's not like it was turning out super great anyway. He flinches when the bell rings, dropping the ruler he'd been holding. It lands on the table with a loud clatter.

Dimitri gives him a level look as he packs up his stuff. "If you stress out any more you're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"I'm not stressing!" Max shoots back, and he knows Dimitri sees right through the lie.

"Right." He stands up. "Watch out for Suzy!" He calls over his shoulder as he leaves, lazy smile back in place.

Max groans loudly as he cleans up his own workspace. He just wants to get home without being bothered. Is that too much to ask for? "I hate this school," he mutters half-heatedly to himself. Max is the last one out of the room - Coach Oop had disappeared somewhere about twenty minutes ago - so he closes the door behind him as he steps into the hallway.

He can tell Johnny's standing there before he even sees him 'cuz of the furnace blast of heat that smacks into his face. Max turns around, raising an eyebrow. "Well, look who finally showed up. Where've you been this whole time?"

"Uh-" He shrugs, hands in his pockets, looking vaguely nervous. "Y'know. Stuff." He pauses, leaning in a bit. "Why d'ya smell like a flower shop?"

"Maybe 'cuz I have like three dozen of them in my bag!" Max complains, gesturing towards his backpack. "Seriously, just - just look at this." He shrugs it off and unzips it it, shoving the pink rose out of sight before holding it out. Johnny snorts back a laugh and he scowls. "It's not funny, dude. I have more in my locker. How am I even supposed to get these all home?"

"I'll help," Johnny offers quickly. "Since I was, um." He ducks his head, flushing. "I was waiting for ya t'get outta class anyway 'cuz I wanted t'walk home with ya."

Max stares at him, heart doing that weird lurching thing it always seems to do whenever he's around Johnny. "Thanks," he says finally, giving him a warm smile. "Um, for both. That's sweet."

Johnny goes even redder, looking away. "It's not - I'm - let's just go!" he bursts out aggressively, shoving Max forward.

"Woah, chill out!" Max elbows him in the ribs in return. "It's not like they're gonna go anywhere." He zips his backpack up and shoulders it, starting down the hall. He eyes the strewn petals and leaves littering the tile floor. "Does this happen every year?" Max asks, gesturing at an abandoned rose. "It seems a little...excessive."

"Yeah, but it was bigger this year." Johnny bends down and picks it up, twisting the stem. "Dunno why."

"Hmm. Weird." He stops in front of his locker, twisting the dial. "I - oh geez!" He cuts off with a yelp, making a desperate grab for the flowers as they cascade onto the floor. Max glares at them for a moment before crouching down and gathering them up. "Here, take some." He thrusts a bunch at Johnny.

"Pretty popular, ain't ya?" He teases back, but he grabs them anyway.

"Shut up." Max punches him in the leg. "I don't know why I have so many! There's no way people can like me this much."

"Why not?" Johnny asks as he's handed more flowers. "I mean, y'got me t'lika ya-" He freezes mid-sentence. Max freezes too, staring up at him. He's super sweaty all of a sudden, his heart doing a somersault. He's about to say something back, a stupid joke or a sarcastic comment, but he's interrupted by the roses in Johnny's arms catching on fire.

"Jesus!" Max yelps, springing to his feet and yanking them away from him, waving them frantically in an attempt to put the fire out. They extinguish pretty easily once they're away from Johnny's body heat, thankfully. He lets out a relieved sigh, turning back to him. "You okay?"

Johnny's backed up clear across the hall, pressed against the far lockers, eyes wide. "'M - yeah," he mutters, staring at the smoke wafting up to the ceiling. "I didn't - I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Max interrupts, waving the rest of the smoke away.

"Sorry." He's staring at the floor now.

"Hey." Max crosses over to him. "It's fine," he says gently, touching him on the elbow. Johnny flinches a little at that, head snapping up so that their eyes meet. Max swallows, suddenly feeling like he can't breathe. "Guess they just don't like your heat as much as I do," he quips, the words falling out before he can stop them. Johnny goes red again and Max bites the inside of his cheek, mentally kicking himself. Why does he keep saying stuff like that? "Um, I just - I-" he stammers out, taking a step back and looking away. "I'm - uh-oh."

"What?"

"Suzy," Max hisses, gesturing frantically at her as she turns the corner at the end of the hall. He can see her perk up at the sight of him even from this distance.

"Max!" she yells, voice echoing off the walls. "Hey! How about an interview?"

He grabs Johnny's hand and yanks him forward, shoving the flowers back towards him and scooping the rest of them off the ground. "Let's go!" Max hisses, booking it towards the front doors. He can hear Suzy screaming something behind them, but he's not about to stick around and find out what.

"What was that all about?" Johnny asks when they're outside, bemused look on his face.

"She-" Max pauses, holding up a finger and trying to catch his breath. "She's been trying to corner me all day, I guess. Something about me breaking a school record or whatever." He hefts the flowers by way of explanation.

"Oh," Johnny says, looking down at the ones he's holding.

"Yeah." Max pushes him forward, away from the doors. "C'mon. Knowing Suzy she'll probably try and chase me all the way to my house." He steps over a discarded rose on the ground, half-buried by snow, careful not to crush it. There's still a bunch of kids hanging around the courtyard, talking excitedly about the flowers they got. Max spots a couple making out under the trees and he pulls a face, looking away.

Johnny's weirdly quiet as they walk. Max glances over at him, frowning slightly. "You okay?"

He jumps visibly. "Uh," he starts, face coloring. "Yeah? Why are ya askin'?"

"Maybe 'cuz you're usually a huge chatterbox and you've barely said anything since we got outside?" Max teases, purposefully keeping his tone light. "Did-" he hesitates for a moment. "Was it the fire-"

"It didn't bother me that much," Johnny interrupts, and Max is pretty sure he's lying, but he doesn't press it.

"Okay. Good." A weird, awkward atmosphere settles over them and Max studies the snowflakes drifting down from the sky, desperately trying to think of something to say. "So," he tries with a fake casualness, "you get any flowers?"

“Um-" Johnny ducks his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. From my friends. Me an' my boys always send each other a bunch of 'em every year."

"Aw." He elbows him in the side, giving him a grin. "Cute. I would've sent you one too if I'd known this was gonna be happening." The words fall out of his mouth before he can stop them and he grimaces internally, feeling betrayed by how furiously he starts blushing. Johnny just blinks, looking startled. "Not - I don't mean it in a weird way," Max adds hastily, before he can say anything.

"It's not-"

"Just 'cuz, y'know," he continues, digging himself in even deeper, "we're friends and all, right? That's - just - you know!" He gestures vaguely with one hand, incredibly aware of just how close he is to dissolving into babbling. Johnny doesn't say anything in response to that and Max bites his lip, turning his head. He shivers in a sudden icy gust of wind, stepping closer to Johnny without even thinking about it, heart skipping a beat again. "So,” Max asks into the silence, trying again. “Do you like anyone?" He immediately regrets it. God, that was absolutely the wrong thing to say. What - why would he even say that?

"Uh." Johnny's voice sounds strangled. Max just barely resists the urge to smack himself in the face long enough to glance over at him. His face is bright red, body heat kicking up enough that it's almost unbearable. "Y-yeah," he mumbles, barely audible.

"Oh." Max tries to ignore the weird feeling that settles in his stomach. He already knew this, didn't he? It didn't bother him before, so why's it - no. It's not bothering him. Absolutely not. "Anyone I know?"

"No!" Johnny says sharply, loud enough that a spirit passing by stops to stare. He glares at it and it scurries away. "You - they - they're in the grade above, so y'wouldn't know 'em." He's avoiding eye contact, and Max can't help but notice that his hands are shaking a bit.

"Right," he says back, faintly. The weird feeling gets heavier. He's almost a little bit nauseous, like he ate something bad. Max is suddenly desperate to get out of this conversation, and he kicks himself mentally for even bringing it up. He doesn't - what had he even been expecting?

"Do ya?" Johnny asks suddenly, and Max jerks, startled. "Um. Like anyone, I mean."

"Nah." He shakes his head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Except nobody freaking believes me for some reason!" He eyes Johnny briefly. "You better not start on me too, 'cuz Isabel and my dad are bad enough."

"I'm not gonna!" he protests, and Max snorts.

"Good. But hey," he shoots him a teasing grin, bumping Johnny's shoulder with his own, "if you ever need like, a wingman or something-"

"Shut up!" Johnny says loudly, and Max can't help but laugh at how flushed he gets. God, he really is cute when he's flustered. He freezes in place as soon as the thought crosses his mind, horrified. What the - why would he think  _ that _ , of all things?

Max lets out a little winded oof as Johnny walks right into him, sending him stumbling forward. "Sorry," he mutters, furiously avoiding eye contact. What's wrong with him today?

"Y'okay?" Johnny sounds concerned. "Your face is all red."

"I'm just - I'm-" He fumbles, feeling like he's losing it. "I'm just hot 'cuz you're standing too close to me!" Max snaps back. He doesn't mean to, and he regrets it immediately at Johnny's hurt expression but - God, he's freaking out. He's gotta get outta here.

Johnny backs up hastily, almost slipping in the snow as he does. "Sorry. That better?"

"Yeah." He turns aside, glancing down the street. His house is only a couple blocks away now, and Max has never been more relieved to see it. "I gotta - I gotta go, okay?" He still can't look directly at Johnny, 'cuz he's afraid of whatever weird thoughts might pop up if he does. "See you tomorrow," Max blurts abruptly before booking it towards the corner store. He only realizes that he basically just abandoned half of his flowers after he's already inside, but what the heck - it's a small price to pay for escape.

"Woah, what's the rush?" His dad asks from the counter. He leans forward with a suspicious squint, adjusting his glasses. "Did you rob the florist? Are you on the run from the police?"

"What?" Max just stares at him for a moment before remembering. "Oh. No." He looks down at the roses he's got clutched to his chest. "These are from school, actually. For, um, Valentine's Day." He crosses the store to the counter - there weren't any customers around to see his panicked arrival, thankfully - and sets them down on its surface. Max swings his backpack off, unzipping it and adding its contents to the pile. "Here. You can put them on the kitchen table or something if you want. We have vases, right?"

His dad lights up, picking up a rose and waving it around excitedly. "Yes!" he enthuses, bending down and planting a kiss right on Max's forehead. "You're my favorite son, you know that?"

"I'm your only son," Max grumbles back, wiping at his face. He glances at the flowers, hesitating for a moment before grabbing the pink one. "I'm... I'm gonna keep this one."

"What's so special about it?" His dad calls after him as he climbs the stairs.

"Nothing!" Max yells back, and he tries to convince himself he's telling the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> other people did those flower sales at their schools right it wasn't just me


	43. crash and burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys check out this super sweet [fanart](https://paramemetual.tumblr.com/post/189643946315/okay-go-read-ash-in-your-mouth-by-david) for this fic!! i love it :)
> 
> also here it is...the moment you've all been waiting for

That stupid rose is the first thing Max sees when he wakes up the next morning. He slaps his alarm off and stares at it for a minute, trying to remember why he'd even brought it to his room in the first place. It looks kinda sad, sitting on his desk in a cup full of water he'd taken from the kitchen. It's starting to wilt already, and he frowns, feeling weirdly upset.

He rolls over, staring at the ceiling. Don't worry about, he thinks. It's just a flower. Except it's not just a flower - it means somebody out there's got a crush on him. Unless it's just a joke. God, he really hopes it's a joke. Either way, it's just another thing for him to stress over.

Max lets out a loud, exaggerated sigh, wishing he could just go back to sleep. But he had said he'd do morning patrol with Isabel, after all. He lies there for a few more minutes before dragging himself out of bed with a grumble, getting dressed. Why's school gotta start so early? He's so dang exhausted all the time it's starting to make him cranky.

He's not expecting to see Isabel in the store when he gets downstairs. "Hey," Max says, blinking at her in surprise. "I thought we were meeting at school?"

She shrugs in response. "Your place is on the way there, so..." Isabel trails off, putting her elbows on the counter and leaning forward, staring him down. There's something about her expression that makes Max nervous, and he shifts away a bit. "Okay, I actually am here for a reason, though."

"Which is?" He eyes her, not sure he's liking where this is going.

Isabel leans even further across the counter, stretching out her arm so she can put a hand on Max's shoulder. He tries squirming away, but she just latches on tighter, and he gives up. "I'm here to help you realize your feelings," she intone solemnly, making direct eye contact.

Max raises an eyebrow at her, absolutely baffled. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific."

"I'm - seriously?" Isabel drops her hand, letting out an exasperated huff. "Max. How can you still not know?"

"Know what?" He throws his hands up. "You're being like, super vague and cryptic right now. Have you been taking lessons from Spender?"

"Ew." She wrinkles her nose, then rolls her eyes. "Honestly. It's obvious to everyone but yourself, I guess."

"Isabel," he says warning, starting to get fed up.

"Max." She grabs him by the face, yanking him in. "You like Johnny. As in ‘like’ like, so don’t try being vague."

He just stares at her for several long seconds before breaking out into incredulous laughter. "What - what are you even talking about?" Max splutters, feeling a flush creep up the back of his neck. "You - I do not! That's nuts!"

"You totally do," Isabel says smugly, letting go and giving him a knowing little smile.

"I don’t!"

"Oh, come on!" She lets out a frustrated groan, running a hand through her hair. "You're still playing the denial card?"

"I am not in denial about anything!" Max shouts loudly, then winces. The last thing he needs is the rest of his family overhearing this conversation. "I'm not- mrmph." Isabel silences him by pressing a finger to his lips.

"Hold that thought." She darts away, and Max hears the sound of one of the magazine racks being spun. Isabel comes back a few seconds later, slapping an issue on the counter. "Okay, then. Since you're being like, super dumb right now, we're gonna have to consult the professionals."

"Really?" Max hisses, gesturing sharply towards it. "Seventeen Magazine is your idea of professional?"

"Hey, don't knock it." She frowns at him. "There's good stuff in here sometimes." She pauses, then snorts. "I'm kidding. I've never actually read it. But," she says holding it up so Max can see the cover. "They've got one of those crush quizzes in it." Isabel points at where HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE TOTALLY CRUSHIN' is printed on the front in big pink letters.

He shakes his head violently in response. "We are not doing this."

Isabel places a hand over her heart, giving him her best puppy eyes. "Humor me as your best friend?"

"Absolutely not-"

"Or I could remind you that you owe me for that time you let a spirit throw up on me and I smelled like fish guts for two weeks?" she interrupts, arching a brow.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that hitting it with my bat would make it do that?" Max protests.

"Maybe 'cuz I was shouting for you to  _ not _ do that?"

He groans in exasperation. "Fine," he mutters, accepting defeat. "But a stupid quiz isn't gonna tell you anything."

"We'll see," Isabel replies cryptically, uncapping the marker Zoey had left on the counter yesterday. She opens up magazine and flips to the table of contents. "Page 32, here we come!" she says, entirely too cheerful for Max's liking. He just glowers at her. She ignores it. "Okay, question one-"

"Hold it!" Max slaps his hand down on the page before she can do anything. "You gotta pay for it first. Store rules." Maybe she won't have any money on her, he thinks hopefully.

"Seriously?" Isabel sounds incredulous, and he shrugs. "Ugh. Fine." She sticks her tongue out at him before shoving her hand in her coat pocket, rummaging around. "I think I still have a dollar or two in here from the last time Ed lost a bet. How much is this, anyway?"

"Two bucks," he says, grudgingly. "My dad marked all of the..." He waves his hand at the magazine. "Valentine's Day stuff down yesterday."

Isabel pulls two dollars out of her pocket and slaps them down on the counter with a triumphant smirk. "Told ya I had it."

Max just makes a vague, unhappy noise in response. He takes his time putting the cash in the register, trying to stall for as long as possible. Isabel waits patiently. "You're the worst," he grumbles, crossing his arms and glowering at her.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." She gives him a big smile, and Max can't really argue with that. She bends over the magazine, squinting at the words. "Unsure if you ‘like’ like this guy, or just like him? Take this quiz to find out if you're totally crushin' or not!" Isabel reads, trying and failing to hold back a giggle. "Well, it's a little heteronormative, but I guess it'll still work." She takes a deep breath, composing herself. "Okay, question one-"

"You know what, I've changed my mind," Max says loudly, interrupting her. "I don't-"

"Question one," Isabel says even more loudly, steamrolling over him. "You find yourself getting nervous or flustered around him. Yes or no?"

"Give me that." Max snatches the magazine away from her, frowning down at the questionnaire. "What even counts as getting nervous?"

"You know." She reaches across the counter and tugs it out of his hands. "Racing heart, getting sweaty, your brain turns to goo. That kinda stuff."

"I-" He opens his mouth to respond and then stops, unable to think of anything to say. "I - well- have you ever stood next to Johnny?" Max fumbles out, defensively. "Dude's literally a walking furnace! Of course you're gonna get sweaty!"

Isabel pats him on the cheek. "You keep telling herself that." She circles YES with a smirk and Max wants to die. "Next question. You look forward to seeing him and get disappointed when you don't." She looks up at him expectantly.

"Okay, fine," Max grits out, face burning. "Maybe. But it'd be the same for any of my friends."

"Mhm." She circles YES again before moving on. "You catch yourself smiling and laughing a lot whenever you're around him."

Max stares at her. "Did you not just hear the part about us being friends?"

"Yeah, which is why, as your friend," Isabel leans forward, "I can say that you are a total wet blanket." She points the marker at him. "That's the scientific term."

"It is not."

"Is too. My point is, you're always like,  _ this  _ all the time." She gestures to herself as she scowls deeply, face scrunching up. "Except for when you're hanging out with Johnny." She marks YES, ignoring Max's protests. "Also." Isabel puts the marker down. "You don't like it when me or anyone else touches you, but you're fine with it when it's him."

"That's-" God, he can't even think of an answer to that. That's not true. Is it? Okay, so maybe he doesn't mind when Johnny touches him, but that's - that's just 'cuz he's warm and it's nice, that's all. "So what?" he blusters lamely, and she snorts.

"Just saying." She picks up the marker again. "Last question." She looks at it, huge grin forming.

"What?" Max demands, unsettled.

"You've - and this is verbatim, so don't make fun of me - you've totally thought about smooching him." Isabel smirks at him. "Yes or no?

All Max can manage is an undignified squeak in response. No way. He hasn't. He - okay, he had that dream, but it was just a weird one-time thing, and okay, maybe he hasn't been able to stop thinking about it recently, but-

Oh, God.

He really does have a crush on Johnny.

"Max?" Isabel waves a hand in front of his face, frowning. "Dude, you okay? You're spacing out on me."

He shakes his head, trying to snap back to reality. "This is a stupid quiz," Max says weakly, falling back on mockery in an attempt to cover up his true feelings. "There's only four questions."

"Yeah, and according to the results, you are totally crushin'." She adopts an announcer voice, underlining the words at the bottom of the page before patting it smugly. “My Seventeen Magazine tells me that you’re in love.”

"I am not!" Max shoots back hotly. His voice cracks halfway through. "I'm - I'm - oh, my God." He relinquishes his white-kunckled death grip on the edge of the counter and sinks down, pressing his hands to the sides of his face. How did - how did this even happen? When did it happen? He's - what - this isn't something that's supposed to happen to  _ him. _ "I have a disease," Max mumbles, staring very intently at a piece of gum stuck to the floor.

"Yeah, a love disease," Isabel teases in a sing-song voice, flipping the magazine shut.

"No!" he yells back, mortified. "Don't say that!"

"It's true, though." She lies across the counter, looking down at him. "Why are you so freaked out about this?"

"I am not freaked out!" It's an obvious lie, and he knows Isabel sees right through it. His heart's going so fast right now it feels like it's going to explode. Max swallows hard, his stomach busy trying to tie itself into knots.

"Max, if you start breathing any faster, I'm gonna have to get you one of those paper bags they give out on airplanes." Isabel frowns at him. "What's up? You know it's okay to like boys, right?"

"That is not the issue!" He practically shouts it at her, wishing he could just sink through the floor.

"Okay," she says, patiently, "then what is?"

"It's-" Max hesitates, trying to stop the tears that are threatening to spill out. "It's - he likes someone else, okay?" He feels hollow as soon as the words leave him. He likes Johnny, and Johnny doesn't like him back. God. Why does that have to hurt so much?

There's a rustling noise and Isabel hops the counter, kneeling down in front of him. "How do you know that?"

"'Cuz he told me!" he snaps, more aggressively than intended. It's just - Jesus. He can't handle this right now.

She lets out a loud huff. "Max, you-"

"I don't wanna talk about this-"

"Dude-"

"Isabel,  _ please. _ " He's crying for real now. Max rubs at his eyes with the back of his sleeve, misery twisting his guts up. This is so stupid. He's so stupid.

She stares at him for a moment before visibly relenting. "Okay."

"Thank you." He sniffs a bit, mad at himself for being such a dumb crybaby. Okay, so his crush doesn't like him back. So what? Get over it. Max takes a deep breath and holds it, letting it out slowly. "You absolutely cannot tell anyone about this." He fixes her with the firmest look he can manage. It's kinda hard, 'cuz he feels like he's made of jello right now. "I mean it, Iz. Promise me."

Isabel makes a startled noise. Max knows she knows about his weird hang-up about promises. He's never told her why, exactly, but she picked up on it pretty early on. "I won't. Cross my heart," she adds hastily in response to his dubious expression, drawing an X over her chest.

Max lets out another shaky breath. "Thanks," he says again, mumbling.

"Hey, friends keep each other's secrets, right?" She gives him a little smile, opening her arms wide. "I'm comin' in with the hug train now, so get ready." Isabel grabs him, squeezing him tight enough that it feels like his ribs are gonna crack. Max lets it happen, only pulling away when he can't breathe anymore. She lets go immediately, socking him in the shoulder instead. "Hey. Let's get to school and go beat up some spirits, okay?"

"Okay." He needs the distraction, even if he is dreading going to school. What's he gonna do when he gets to shop and has to see Johnny? Maybe he could just pretend to be sick and go to the nurse before class starts. It's a good a plan as any.

"Awesome." Isabel stands up, grabbing him by the hand and hauling him to his feet. "But seriously, though. I can't believe it took you this long to realize."

Max glowers at her. "This is my first time having a crush, okay? Cut me some slack." He dusts his pants off. Man, the store really needs to be swept. "Also, what did I just say?"

"Sorry." She holds her hands up. "It's just like, it was so obvious."

"To you?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

"To everyone."

"Oh." He grimaces. Great. He's not exactly thrilled about the thought of everyone at school knowing about this.

Isabel slaps him on the back suddenly, and he stumbles forward. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go kick some spirit butt." She starts pushing him towards the doors. Max doesn't resist, 'cuz despite her words, he's already worrying about it.

This sucks, is all he can think as he's shoved outside into the cold. It absolutely, totally, majorly sucks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to max for only taking 42 chapters to realize baby has crush i'm not sure if i should be proud of that
> 
> some quick housekeeping notes!
> 
> this is the last update for the rest of the year since i'm going to be busy with family and work. wishing you all a great holiday season, and i'll see y'all in 2020! thank you so much for sticking with this fic for these past couple months, i'm having a blast sharing it with you all!


	44. up in smoke

"So," Isabel says, flicking a little bit of spirit goo off her sleeve at him, "what are you gonna do?"

Max takes a step away so he's out of range before replying, grimacing at how sticky the floor is. They'd busted a spirit in the basement and it'd exploded all over the place, because of course nothing in this town could ever be easy. He'd used Isabel as a shield, so he's mostly slime-free. "Do about what?"

She rolls her eyes. "You know."

"I d-" Max cuts off with a yelp as she launches a whole fistful of goop at him, frantically backpedaling. "Cut that out, Iz." He frowns at her. "That's gross."

"You're gross," Isabel shoots back. She puts her hands on her hips and kicks at a pile of spirit slime on the ground. "This stuff'll dissolve in like an hour, so don't worry about it."  She pauses, wrinkling her nose. "Dunno about the smell, though." Then she shrugs and lifts her foot, stomping on the goo as hard as she can, sending in splattering everywhere.

Max ducks, shielding his face with his hands. "Why am I even friends with you?" he grumbles, glaring at her through his fingers.

"'Cuz you love me," Isabel teases, throwing an arm around his neck, smearing slime across his cheek in the process. It's cold and smells like a dumpster full of rotting bananas. Max pulls a face and tries to squirm away, but she tightens her grip. "Also, I'm your mentor, so you look up to me."

"I'm older than you-"

"Which is why I'm gonna help you with your little love problem," she continues, drowning him out. "If you won't tell him you like him, I will."

Max freezes, going pale. "Don't you dare," he hisses at her, absolutely mortified. He'd die for real if Johnny found out about this stupid crush. And then with his luck he'd probably come back as a ghost, so he'll have to run away on top of that.

Isabel withdraws her arm with an exasperated noise, throwing her hands in the air. "Come  _ on _ . I'm trying to help you out!" She fixes him with a stern glare. "Just tell him."

"Absolutely not-"

"Are you  _ kidding  _ me-"

"Isabel-"

"Max!" she yells, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You're driving me nuts." She takes a deep breath and continues, voice more gentle. "Why not?"

He decides to ignore the question in favor of very,  _ very  _ slowly cleaning his bat and putting it away in his backpack instead, pointedly ignoring eye contact with Isabel. Max can still tell she's staring at him, though, and he squirms a bit, uncomfortable. "What?" he finally snaps, flushing in embarrassment.

"You gonna answer the question?"

"It's 'cuz it's weird, okay?" Max bursts out, tugging the brim of his hat over his face in the world's worst attempt at hiding. "It'd be like - like-" He struggles for a good analogy. "It'd be like if I had a crush on you, or something!" He gestures at her, blush getting even deeper.

Isabel eyes him suspiciously. "You don't, do you?"

"No!" Max lets out an exasperated groan, pressing his hands against his face. "I'm just saying. It'd just be- it'd be weird and uncomfortable and then we probably wouldn't be friends anymore and-" He bites his lip, feeling like he's about to start crying again. God. He'd be absolutely devastated if their friendship was ruined because of this  _ stupid  _ baby crush, and he can't help but wonder when he started caring so much.

Probably when Johnny showed up at his house in the middle of the night scared half to death, if he's being honest with himself. Something about seeing a different side of him had really changed Max's opinion. Changed it too freaking much, apparently, because now he's stuck in this mess.

Isabel waves a hand in front of his face and he startles. Man, he must've really been spacing out. "Did you hear anything I just said?" she asks, eyebrow raised.

"Uh." Max considers it. "No?"

She rolls her eyes and shakes off her umbrella, snapping it shut. Max ducks the spray of spirit goo. "I was  _ saying _ ," she points the tool at him, "maybe he likes you back. You never know."

Max can't help but snort at that. "Yeah, right." There's no way. Isabel looks like she's about to argue, so he hastily pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks the time, trying to change the subject. "School's gonna start soon." He snaps it shut and heads towards the stairs. They really shouldn't even be down here, and he wants to skedaddle before they get caught.

He hears Isabel sigh loudly behind him. "You're being ridiculous."

"Wh- I am not!" Max protests, stopping halfway up the stairs and twisting around to glare at her, putting his hands on his hips. "I think I'm being perfectly reasonable, actually."

"You hid behind the drinking fountain when we got to school 'cuz you  _ thought  _ you saw Johnny," she shoots back, a smirk creeping across her face.

"Well-" he starts, then falters. Okay, he doesn't have a reasonable comeback for that. "Can we- just- let's drop this already, okay?" Max says loudly, feeling betrayed by his furious blushing.

"Okay." Isabel shrugs, following him up the rest of the stairs. "For now," she adds, muttering under her breath.

"I heard that."

She laughs in response to that, punching him in the small of his back. "Hey, I haven't had a chance to play matchmaker since I was a little kid." Isabel leans in conspiratorially. "There was this one time Ed was crazy in love with one of Grandpa's students, 'cept she was, like, fifty years old." She pauses, considering. "Okay, maybe not fifty. More like twenty. Still way too old for a third grader-"

"Is there a point to this?" Max interrupts, stopping in front of the basement door.

"My  _ point  _ is," she pokes him in the side with her umbrella, "I'm gonna be your wingman. Girl. You know what I mean." She shoots him a huge grin. "So quit stressing. I've got it all handled."

Max points a stern finger at her. "Don't you  _ dare _ . Or I'm- I'm-" He struggles for a big enough threat. "I'll friend-divorce you!" He bursts out, then winces internally. That might be the single most stupid thing he's ever said in his entire life.

Isabel stares at him in disbelief for a moment before breaking out into laughter. "Oh my God," she wheezes, elbowing him aside and opening the door. "I'm so scared right now." She yanks him out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you need, like, court papers or something for that." Isabel puts a hand over her heart, feigning distress. "Are you going to take me to court?"

"I'm leaving," Max announces loudly, spinning on his heel and marching off down the hall. His dramatic exit is hindered by the crowd of students rushing to get to class, and Isabel catches up with him easily.

"Okay, look." Her voice is serious. "I'm not gonna tell him anything. But you guys are friends, right?" She elbows him. "Right?"

"Yeah."

"So what's the worst that can happen?" Max just pulls a face, and she rolls her eyes. "Dude. Okay, what if  _ he  _ told you he had a crush on  _ you _ ? Would you stop being friends with him over that?"

"That's a strawman argument," he retorts, putting yesterday's English class to use. Isabel just stares at him expectantly. Max looks away, stalling. What  _ would  _ he even do in that case? It's not like it'd ever happen, but...he turns back to her, still avoiding eye contact. "No," Max admits, trying to ignore the uncomfortable way his heart takes off racing imagining that particular scenario. "But it's not like- that's just a stupid hypothetical thing. It doesn't count." 

"You are literally the worst," Isabel deadpans. She slugs him on the shoulder just as the warning bell rings. "See you in art, Romeo."

Max doesn't even bother dignifying that with a response. He glowers after her as she darts down the hall, jumping a bit when his phone buzzes in his pocket. Max checks it, heart lurching violently when he sees it's a text from Johnny. There's no way he can respond to  _ that  _ either, so he just shoves it back in and flees to class.

He spends all of English formulating a plan for successfully avoiding Johnny in between pretending to pay attention and telling Ed about the exploding goo spirit. Most of the slime had disappeared from his clothes already, so at least Isabel had been right about that. He still smells kinda funky, though. Max briefly considers using that as an excuse to get himself sent to the nurse or something, just so he won't have to go to shop, before realizing nobody besides spectrals would notice. 

Maybe he can just fake being sick. Maybe he can break his other arm. Anything to get out of going to class and having to face Johnny. 

"This is ridiculous," Max mutters under his breath. Ed shoots him a questioning look and he shakes his head in response, not willing to elaborate. He doesn't know if Isabel spilled the beans to the rest of the Club - geez, he really hopes not - but either way, he doesn't want to get into it. Max knows he's being dumb. It's just- he can't help it. He's never had a crush before in his entire life and he has absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

Just suck it up, he scolds himself. Quit being a baby and just  _ deal  _ with it. Isabel's right. What's the worst that can happen?

Max can think of a lot of things, but he chooses not to dwell on them. 

The sound of the bell ringing makes him start violently, smacking his knees on the underside of the desk. Ed leans across the aisle, face concerned. "Are you okay? You were like, major spacin' out."

"I'm fine." The words come out curt and Max winces. "Sorry. I'm just, um. Stressed about something."

"Oh." Ed's expression turns sympathetic. "Is it somethin' you wanna talk about? Or is it somethin' that can be beat up, 'cuz I can get Izzy on it-"

"Neither!" he interrupts quickly, because he  _ definitely  _ does not need Ed siccing Isabel on Johnny. "It's-" Max breaks off with a groan, rubbing at his forehead. "It's nothing, okay? But I, um, appreciate the offer." He gets to his feet, slinging his backpack on. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Oh." Ed looks caught off-guard. "Okay?" 

Max gives him a brief nod in response, then turns around and escapes the room before he can ask any more questions.

His stress levels rising as he white-knuckles it through the rest of the day. It doesn't help that Johnny keeps texting him. Isabel too, but Max can guess what her messages say. He's seriously tempted to just throw his phone out the third floor window. Max manages to suppress the urge and just turns it off instead, burying it at the bottom of his backpack.

Isabel doesn't bring it up at all during art, which he's grateful for, or lunch, which Max is even  _ more  _ grateful for, 'cuz he doesn't need Isaac knowing about this. She does, however, keep giving him big winks, and no amount of him glaring back at her will get her to stop. Isaac just looks back and forth between the two of them, clearly confused, but doesn't ask.

Max makes it through math okay, or at least he does until the bell rings and he finds himself frozen to his seat. This is it. No more hiding or dodging. He's gotta go to shop. Or he just could not, his brain supplies helpfully. He could just ditch. Max momentarily considers it before quietly nixing that idea. His dad would be devastated if his child turned into a delinquent.

The room's mostly empty now. It's just him, the horrible pit of dread in his stomach, and Ms. Baxter. She's at her desk, rifling through a stack of papers. She sets them down after a few seconds, frowning at him. "Are you all right?"

Max jumps at the sound of her voice. "I'm fine!" he blurts loudly, scrambling to his feet. Ms. Baxter blinks back at him, looking perplexed.

"Well...good." She picks the papers up again. "Why don't you get to your next class, okay?"

He nods in response, not trusting himself to be able to speak, and practically runs out of the room. Max bursts out into the hallway, ignoring the weird looks and startled exclamations from people already there. You can do this, he tells himself. Just go to class. It's fine. It'll be  _ fine. _ He takes a deep breath and forces himself to start walking, nerves wound up so tight it feels like they're gonna snap.

He can do this. He can- Max finds himself unconsciously slowing down as he approaches the open door to the shop classroom. He stops just outside it, freezing up again. He can't do this. He can't. He's gotta get out of here. 

Max whirls around and walks directly into Dimitri. "Sorry," he mutters, reeling back.

Dimitri just raises an eyebrow in response. "There a reason you were blocking the doorway, or is it just something you do for fun?" He pauses for a moment, studying him. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to throw up."

"I'm fine," Max lies, cutting his eyes away. He does kinda feel like he's gonna be sick though. Maybe he should take this opportunity to go to the nurse and hide out there. Maybe- no, he's gotta stop being such a baby. It's not like he's gonna fall apart if he sees Johnny. Besides, maybe he'll get lucky and Coach Oop will have him doing stuff in the office again. 

Dimitri's still staring at him. "You sure?" He sounds doubtful.

"Yeah," Max says with a confidence he doesn't feel. "Sorry. I just, um, got distracted. I was thinking about something."

"Okay." He shrugs, squeezing past him. "You really should get out of the way, though." 

"Sorry," he mutters again, following him into the classroom and taking his seat. He's all keyed up right now, stomach churning. Max fiddles with a pencil someone had left behind on the table, drumming it nervously. Just chill out, he thinks, firmly. Please.

"You're being weird." Dimitri leans forward, gently taking the pencil away. "Did something happen? With..." He hesitates, glancing around. "Is it spectral stuff?"

Max shakes his head. "Nah. It's- it's-" He trails off with a stutter, looking over at the door just in time to see Coach Oop walk in, Johnny trailing after him. Max feels his heart lurch violently and he turns away quickly, staring at a pile of sawdust on the floor. "It's something else," he finishes weakly.

"Oh." Dimitri draws the sound out, and he's smirking when Max glares at him. "I see." The implication in his voice makes Max want to die. He returns his attention to the sawdust, blushing furiously. Great. Now one more person knows about this stupid crush. Not that he thinks Dimitri's gonna go around blabbing about it, but still.

He doesn't even look up when Coach Oop starts yelling instructions. 'Cuz if he does, then he'll see Johnny and he'll die and- oh, geez. Max feels heat settle over him, and he swallows, throat suddenly dry. 

"Hey," Johnny says.

"Hey," Max squeaks back, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the ground. There's a couple seconds of awkward silence.

"Are y'okay?"

Max glances up at that and immediately regrets it. Johnny's looking at him with a concerned expression and it's really,  _ really  _ cute and- and - God, he can't take this. "Um," he says vaguely, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Dunno." He shrugs. "Y'weren't textin' me back. An' there was, y'know." He waves a hand. "Yesterday." 

"Oh." Right. Yesterday. When he'd flipped out and run away for seemingly no reason. "Um. My phone died," he lies. "But I'm-" He cuts off when Johnny leans in a bit, shying away so suddenly he almost falls off his stool. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Johnny says hastily, moving back. "Y'just- yer face is super red right now. Are ya sick or somethin'?"

Dimitri lets out a little snort and Max twists around to glare at him before responding. He just smirks and shakes his head. "I'm fine," Max says again, still eyeing Dimitri. This was a bad idea. He never should've come to class.

Johnny nudges him on the arm and Max jumps, heart going overtime. "Y'left a bunch of your flowers-"

"I don't want them, okay?" Max snaps, interrupting. He bites the inside of his cheek, frustrated. Don't be a jerk, he scolds himself. It's just-  _ God _ , he's gotta get out of here or he's gonna flip. Max stands up abruptly, stool screeching across the floor. He's gonna go ask to go to the nurse after all.

"Y'sure you're okay?" Johnny sounds worried as he extends a hand, reaching out for him.

"Don't touch me!" Max yells, jerking away violently. The classroom falls dead silent as everyone turns to face him. He just stands there for a moment, frozen in place, breathing hard. Johnny stares back at him, looking equal parts hurt and confused. Max immediately feels awful but he can't- he can't make himself apologize, 'cuz his throat's burning so hard it hurts. He's gonna start crying if he stays here any longer. 

He shakes his head, backing away. Everyone's still staring at him and- and, oh geez, Coach Oop's coming this way. Max grabs his backpack and runs out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher's protests. He almost mows down a couple of people in the hallway as he bursts out the door. Max has no idea what his plan is now. He just runs blindly through the school, trying not to cry.

God. This is so stupid. He's so stupid. Why's he even acting like this? It just- it just  _ hurts _ , being around Johnny.

He wants to go home.

Max is outside before he even realizes it. The air's so cold it takes his breath away, but he doesn't stop running, 'cuz if he does someone's gonna catch him and drag him back inside. He's probably already in trouble. Might as well add skipping school to the list. That's not ever something he would've imagined himself doing, but here he is. Being a delinquent.

He almost goes down several times as he runs. The sidewalk's slick with ice, and it doesn't help that there's a bunch of spirits running around underfoot. Max just barely restrains himself from yelling at them, picking up the pace instead. He can see the corner shop just up ahead. He doesn't really have much of a plan beyond getting inside and locking himself in his room, but it's a good enough start.

He barely slows down enough for the sliding doors to open in time, almost crashing into them. Max skids in a puddle of melted snow on the tile floor, grabbing onto a nearby shelf for balance. His dad looks up from where he's at the register with a customer, clearly startled.

"Max? What's-"

He's too busy pounding his way up the stairs to hear the rest. Max slams the door to his room shut behind him and throws himself face first onto his bed, the realization of what he's just done finally sinking in. Oh, God. His dad's gonna be so disappointed in him. Just another reason for him to feel miserable. 

The door creaks open. "Max?" his dad says, voice concerned. "What's wrong? Did something happen at school?"

Max doesn't say anything. He doesn't even bother looking up, just presses his face further into his pillow, trying to calm down. It's not working, and he grits his teeth, frustrated. Why does he have to be so pathetic?

He feels the bed shift as his dad sits down next to him. A hand settles on his back, rubbing soothing circles. "You wanna talk about it, bud?"

Max shakes his head, not trusting himself to speak. He's gonna start crying again, he knows it.

"Okay." His dad's quiet for a bit. "You're not - nobody hurt you, did they?"

"No." His words are muffled by the pillow. Not physically at least, even though his heart feels like it's breaking right now. "It's-" Max stops, throat tight. "Dad, what are you supposed to do when you like someone who doesn't like you back?" His voice cracks halfway through the sentence, and he screws his face up, trying and failing to stop the tears.

The hand on his back stills. "Oh, buddy. How do you know they don't like you?"

"'Cuz he told me!" Max bursts out, angry at - at what? Himself? At Johnny, even though it's not his fault? At the universe, maybe, for saddling him with all this spirit nonsense and then dumping an unrequited crush on top of it? What did he ever do to deserve all this? He bites back a frustrated groan, sniffling. It's getting kinda hard to breath, with the crying and his face smushed into a pillow, but he can't look at his dad right now.

"Well," his dad starts, hesitantly. "Sometimes people say things they don't mean-"

"You're just saying that to try and make me feel better," Max interrupts, shifting away. "Can you just leave me alone?" He feels bad about being snappish immediately. God. He just keeps messing up. "Please," he adds, barely audible.

His dad sighs. "Okay. Why don't you try and take a nap, all right? It'll make you feel better."

Max makes a vague noise in response. The bed shifts again as his dad gets up, the door clicking shut quietly. He rolls over onto his side, curling up into a ball. He's still wearing his coat and boots, dirty snow melting onto his sheets, but Max can't bring himself to care about that right now. His phone vibrates in his pocket. He ignores that too. It's probably Isabel, asking him what's going on.

Or Johnny.

The thought of Johnny trying to text him just makes him feel worse. Max sits up, ripping his jacket off and throwing it across the room, almost breaking the zipper in his haste. He follows it up with his boots, then flops back down, closing his eyes and doing his best to think about absolutely nothing at all.

He must've drifted off, because he wakes back up disoriented. His head hurts. Probably from crying. Or Moros. Maybe both. Max sits up slowly, neck aching from the weird position he'd fallen asleep in. There's bright sunlight streaming in through his window, and he squints at it, confused. What time is it? 

Max scrambled over to his discarded jacket, digging his phone out. He flips it open, ignoring the dozens of missed texts and calls. It's a little after eight. How had he slept for that long? He groans, pressing his palm against his forehead. Fantastic. Now he can add being late to school to his list of crimes. Not that he really wants to be at school right now.

There's a knock on his door, and he starts. "Hey, Max?" his dad calls. "You up yet?"

"Yeah," he calls back, voice slightly hoarse. Geez. How much had he cried yesterday?

"Great!" He can tell his dad is keeping his tone purposefully light. "Why don't you come have some breakfast with me?"

Max crosses over to the door, opening it and looking up at his dad, trying to ignore the fact that he probably looks like a giant mess. "What about school? I'm gonna be late." 

"Don't worry about it." His dad waves a hand. "I called you out." He pauses. "You didn't have any big tests today, did you? Oh, good," he continues when Max shakes his head. He gestures towards the kitchen. "C'mon. I made pancakes!"

"I'm not really hungry," Max mutters, but he follows him anyway, sitting down at the table. He stares at a stain on it, absentmindedly tracing shapes on the smooth wood. He feels awful. Physically and emotionally.

"The school wasn't very happy when I called," his dad says, bustling around in the kitchen behind him. "They wanted to give you detention for leaving early yesterday. But I - whoops!" There's a loud clatter as a pan or something falls to the ground. "I got you out of it."

Max squirms a bit, guiltily. "Thanks," he mumbles, keeping his gaze trained on the stain. It kinda looks like a rabbit. "For that and um, for calling me out." He looks up, watching his dad juggle several plates overflowing with pancakes. "Sorry that I kinda ditched school yesterday."

His dad sets the plates down on the table and takes a seat next to him. "Don't worry about it. Just-" he points at him with a syrupy finger, "don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay," Max says meekly. He eyes the pancakes sitting in front of him, stomach revolting at the thought of eating. He just sighs morosely instead, toying at the food with a fork. He can feel his dad looking at him, and he glances up. "What?"

"You feeling any better?" The question's muffled by the half a pancake he has stuffed in his mouth.

"I guess." He shrugs vaguely, going back to messing with his own pancake.

"You sure?"

"I don't-" Max hesitates, pushing his plate away and hugging himself. "I don't know." He's quiet for a bit. "Why's this have to - why does it hurt so much?" He feels silly even asking, but...it really does hurt. Like someone's taking a sledgehammer to his chest and caved his sternum in.

His dad doesn't answer for a minute. "Max," he says eventually, putting his fork down with a sigh. "Emotions can be hard, sometimes. Especially when they're, well," he gestures vaguely, "romantic." Max feels his face get hot at that word, but he doesn't say anything. "But it gets better, okay? I promise." His dad rests his chin on his fist, gazing down at him. "Did I ever tell you about the time your mom and me broke up?" 

Max looks at him, startled. "No?" He'd been under the impression that his parents had always had a happy relationship. 

"It was right after we first started dating." A distant look creeps into his eyes. "I thought everything was going great, and then your mom said she thought we should stop seeing each other. I was devastated, 'cuz, y'know, I'd never been so head over heels in love with anyone before." He pauses for a moment. "And I still haven't."

"So did you actually, y'know..." Max hesitates. "Break up?"

His dad nods. "Yeah. For a bit. I cried for about two weeks straight. I kinda felt how you're feeling right now." He gives him a little smile.

"Right," Max says, quietly. Only it was probably worse for you, he thinks, guilt settling into his stomach, but he doesn't voice it.

"And then," his dad turns his head, staring off into the distance, "she changed her mind? Said she made a mistake and that she missed me. So we got back together." He hesitates. "Okay, this story isn't really as relevant as I thought it'd be." He turns back to him. "But my point is - even if it hurts now, it won't always. Okay?"

"Okay." Hes not really convinced. Max fidgets with his fork, going back to staring at the stain on the table. "I wish...I wish mom was here." 

"Yeah." His dad sighs a bit. "You and me both, bud."

"Was she-" He stops, looking up at his dad. "Was she good at this kinda stuff?"

His dad laughs at that. "I was always the hopeless romantic in our relationship. She's the one who kept me down to earth." He stands up, grabbing Max's still-full plate and sticking it in the fridge. "You should probably call your friends. They showed up at the store last night all worried about you, but I didn't want to wake you up, so they went home." 

The guilt settles down harder. "I will," Max mumbles, pushing his chair back and getting up. "Um. Thanks for breakfast. And - and for listening to me."

"That's my job, kiddo." His dad grins at him over the fridge door. "'Cuz I'm your dad and I love you."

Max resists the impulse to wrinkle his nose. "You too," he says quickly, heading back to his room. He picks his phone up the ground by his jacket and flops on his bed, flipping it open and scrolling through his texts. There's a couple from Ed and Isaac and about a dozen from Isabel.

And there's one from Johnny.

He swallows, feeling jittery. It takes a couple seconds of psyching himself up before he's able to open it. It's from yesterday, from around the time he'd fled the school.

**> johnny (3:27):** r u ok??

There's another one from a few hours later.

**> johnny (7:34):** max r u mad at me 

He bites his lip at that, the guilt so thick it feels like he's suffocating. Great. Now one of his best friends-slash-crush thinks he's mad at him. He's not, Max knows he's not, but what is he even supposed to say back? Sorry I ran away 'cuz I have a crush on you and it scares me? He just closes his phone instead, tossing it aside and throwing his arms over his face.

God. Why's he so freaked out about this? 

It's a stupid question. He knows the answer. Max is scared to death of Johnny finding out, terrified of losing their friendship. How the heck had he ended up getting so attached to the guy who beat him up on his first day in Mayview? It'd just...sorta happened on it's own. Max wonders, briefly, if they'd even be friends if Johnny wasn't also a spectral.

Max lets out a low groan and rolls over, pulling his pillow over his head. This is just too much. He wishes - God. He wishes they'd never moved here. Kinda. Not really. He might complain about how weird Mayview is, but he likes. Likes his friends. Really likes one friend in particular. 

His phone buzzes again and Max pointedly ignores it. He's trying to figure out what he's gonna do the next time he sees Johnny. At least it's Friday, so he won't have to interact with him at school for the next two days, but it's not like he can avoid him for the rest of his life. "Just pull yourself together," Max mutters to himself. They're still friends, so act like it. 

He can do this. It still hurts, a lot, but he can do this.

He thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're back! hope y'all had a great new year :)


	45. boiling point

_"Don't touch me!"_

Johnny's trying his best to stop thinking about what happened in class, but the scene keeps replaying over and over in his mind. The memory of how freakin' _mad_ Max had looked still makes his stomach churn. What did he do wrong? Johnny knows he messed up somehow - he _had_ to, there's no other reason for this - but he just can't figure out what exactly he did. He'd even gone over to Max's place after school was out, to try and talk to him, but his dad had just said he wasn't feeling good and to come back later.

Well, it's later now, but he's too upset to do anything. Johnny's flopped disconsolately on his bed, on top of Stephen and underneath RJ. Ollie'd called an emergency meeting after he'd heard what happened, and his friends had basically frogmarched him from the corner store to his own apartment. 

"You're just overthinking this, dude," Ollie says from somewhere in the room. Johnny can't even bring himself to lift his head and glare at him.

"'m not," he mumbles back sullenly, voice muffled by Stephen's hoodie.

He hears Ollie let out an exasperated sigh. "C'mon. He's sick or something, right? People do weird stuff when they're sick. Like when you had that fever," he points out. 'And almost confessed,' isn't spoken, but it's definitely implied.

Johnny struggles to sit up, dislodging RJ. "Sorry," he says quickly, staring at his blanket and picking at it. "Yeah, but-" He hesitates, biting his lip. "He was actin' weird yesterday, too."He cuts his eyes towards the pile of flowers lying by the door. They're the same ones Max had abandoned when he ran away. Johnny still doesn't know why. Does he not want to be around him? "Y'guys think he maybe found about about the...y'know." He gestures helplessly at the flowers.

Stephen shakes his head, propping himself up on his elbows. "No way. That was like, top level secret." He holds up a finger. "I even nicked my mom's disguise kit for it."

"He still could've," Johnny argues back. He never should've sent that flower. God, that'd been a stupid move.

"You're just overthinking it," Ollie chimes in, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "C'mon. You guys are always hanging out together-"

"Yeah, almost even more than ya do with us," Stephen interrupts. RJ reaches out and slaps him on the arm, frowning at him. "What?" Stephen protests, throwing his hands up. "I'm just sayin'!" 

Johnny tunes them out. "Y'guys think maybe he's mad at me?"

"Dunno." Stephen turns to him. "Ya do anythin' lately that would've ticked him off?"

"Uh." He pauses, thinking. He hasn't been in any fights recently, 'cuz he knows Max doesn't like that, and he's been trying to work on his temper. Well, okay - there was that time in the parking lot behind the movie theater a couple weeks ago, but the other kid had started it and - and anyway, there's no way Max would've known about it. "No?" Johnny offers finally, not even sure if he believes himself.

"Then it's not that." Ollie crosses his arms, pausing for a moment. "Y'think maybe it's...y'know." He taps his temple. "That freaky thing possessing him might be making him do weird stuff." 

"Can't be." Johnny shakes his head. "That angel lady put Moros to sleep. An' Max would've told me if he woke back up." He thinks he would've, anyway. 

His friend shrugs. "Probably just stress then."

"Maybe." He's not convinced. He lets out a sudden, loud groan and throws himself back down on the bed, knocking shoulders with RJ as he goes. "'m pretty sure he's mad at me." Johnny covers his face with his hands, biting the inside of his cheek and suppressing the urge to cry. _This_ is why he's never - and won't ever - confess to Max. He's too scared of it turning out like this. With him being ghosted, left clueless and lost. "I'm just-" He takes a deep breath. "I dunno what I did wrong!"

Is it 'cuz he'd tried to touch Max? Johnny _knows_ Max doesn't like being touched. He'd told him right to his face. It's just ...sometimes he gets excited or concerned and he forgets and - and it doesn't help that Max is always up in his personal space, either. Is that what the problem is? Did he overstep a boundary somewhere?

He sits up again, decisive. "Who's got my phone?" Johnny demands, holding out his hand. Ollie had confiscated it earlier, to stop him from obsessively checking and rechecking his messages in the vain hope that Max had finally texted him back. 

RJ pulls it out of their pocket and drops it onto his open palm. Johnny's about to switch it on, see if he has any new texts, but he hesitates. Somehow, he gets the feeling that seeing a blank screen would just make him even more miserable. He sighs and bites his cheek again, tossing it back to RJ. "I'm losin' it, guys," he says, quietly. "I don't know what's goin' on."

Some part of him is saying he _does_ , though. That Max found out about the crush and now he thinks he's weird and creepy and he hates him and never wants to see him again. Johnny does his best to ignore that particular thought, without much success. 

He barely notices his friends all giving each other worried looks. Stephen socks him in the shoulder, lightly. "Want us t'go over to his place an' lean on him?" RJ smacks him again. "Hey, I'm trying to help!" he says hotly, and they roll their eyes. 

Ollie holds up a hand. "Okay, here's the plan. We're all gonna stay over here tonight and do a movie marathon and _nobody_ ," he empathizes this balling his hand up and smacking it into his palm, "is gonna talk about Max. Okay?" 

"Okay," Johnny says, meekly. He has to admit it's not a bad plan; he could sure use the distraction. He gives Ollie a smile that's more forced than he likes. "Thanks."

"Yeah." He shrugs. "We're not just gonna sit around and watch you mope, dude."

"Wh- I ain't mopin'!" he shoots back, face getting hot. 

"You are," RJ says, and that settles that. Johnny can't think of a good enough comeback, so he just launches himself off his bed and starts ushering his friends out of his room instead.

"I get dibs on the first pick," he declares, pointing at the door. "Then it's Ollie's turn." He blocks Stephen's punch as he goes by. "Hey, y'went first last time, remember?" 

"Yeah, I know," Stephen laughs. "I'm just messin' around. C'mon." He throws an arm around Johnny's neck and drags him towards the living room. 

They spend the rest of the day and most of the night going through every single movie he owns, and Johnny has to admit the distraction is working. He does feel better. Or at least he does until the next morning rolls around and he can't stop himself from checking his phone the minute he wakes up (RJ'd given it back when it needed to be charged) on the off-chance that Max had finally, _finally_ texted him back. With an explanation or an apology or- or - hell, he'd even take a freakin' emoji at this point.

There's nothing. Just a blank screen. Johnny feels his stomach twist, the misery creeping back into his guts. Max must really hate him. He lets the phone fall on his face, regretting it immediately as it makes contact with his nose. He takes a moment to swear quietly, then rolls over and elbows RJ awake. They'd won Extreme Rock-Paper-Scissors last night, so they'd gotten to split the bed with him while Stephen and Ollie got stuck with the floor and the couch, respectively. They don't stir, so he elbows them again, harder. RJ's a crazy deep sleeper.

They shift a bit, half-opening one eye and glaring at him. "Sorry," Johnny says quickly. "I'm gonna-" He hesitates for a moment. "I'm gonna walk to school by myself today, okay?" It's barely even seven, so he'd be super early, but... "I just need to be alone for a bit, alright?" he adds, in response to RJ's quizzical look. Their expression softens, and they nod a bit, giving him a thumbs up. "You tell Ollie and Stephen?" They nod again. "Thanks."

Johnny untangles himself from the blanket and gets out of bed, carefully stepping over Stephen, sprawled on the floor and snoring loudly. He eyes the tank in the corner of his room, then looks back at RJ. "You guys wanna feed Moxie today?" They light up, nodding vigorously. "Thanks," Johnny says again, giving them a genuine smile.

He bails as quickly as he can, skipping breakfast in favor of getting out of the apartment faster. He's not that hungry, anyway. It's snowing when he steps outside, and it'd probably be chilly to anyone else. If he was anyone else. For a moment, Johnny wishes he could feel the cold. Be a normal kid again. Then he shakes his head and trudges off down the sidewalk, snow melting underfoot.

He awkwardly hovers outside the corner shop for a while, far enough away that nobody can see him through the windows, but still close enough that he could tell if anyone walks out. The doors remain stubbornly shut, taunting him. He finally gives up, shaking his head with a quiet growl, feeling stupid. Johnny whirls around and starts towards school, almost slipping on a patch of ice, which frankly does nothing to improve his mood.

The building's mostly empty when he gets there, which makes his awkward hovering around Max's locker even more obvious. He keeps compulsively checking his phone, feeling more and more awful every time he sees the blank screen. Johnny's so preoccupied rereading the texts he'd sent yesterday that he doesn't even notice Isabel appear until she sticks her umbrella right in his face.

"What did you do to Max?" she demands, red smoke billowing off her. 

"Nothin'!" Johnny shoots back, batting the umbrella away. She just returns it to its original position and he gives up, not really in the mood to fight. God, he really is moping, isn't he?

Isabel purses her lips, slowly lowering the tool and taking a step back, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, you must've done _something_. Dimitri told me he flipped out in your class yesterday. And now he won't talk to me!" Her voice sounds distraught. 

Johnny crosses his arms, staring at the ground. "Me neither." He hesitates for a moment, then glances up at her. "Is he- d'ya think he's mad at me?" 

She considers it, then shakes her head. "Nah. But-" Now it's her turn to hesitate. "I think I know what this is all about."

He stares at her, waiting for her to continue. "What?" he finally bursts out when no answer is forthcoming.

"Can't tell you." Isabel shrugs, slinging her umbrella over her shoulder. 

"Why-"

"'Cuz I can't!" she snaps back, looking away. "But- trust me. He's not mad at you."

Johnny bites his lip, trying to puzzle this out. Okay, so Max isn't angry with him. Then why'd he freak out? "Thought y'didn't like it when people kept secrets," he mutters, letting his frustration get the better of him.

Isabel jerks away, eyes narrowing. "That's not fair," she says, voice low. Johnny can hear the hurt in it, and regret joins the misery in his stomach.

"I didn't-" he starts.

"I'm trying to help you," she continues, cutting him off. "'Cuz I like you, and I like Max, and I want you guys to stop not talking to each other, okay?" She ends the statement with a glare.

"Okay," he replies, quietly. "Sorry. I'm just kinda..." he trails off, not sure what to say.

"Lovesick?" Isabel offers, smirking.

Johnny freezes, going red. "No!" he protests, loudly enough that his voice echoes around the empty hallway.

"Mhm. Sure." She punches him in the upper arm. "Look, just go over to his place after school and talk to him, okay?" She pauses for a second, then adds, "And if you need someone to sit on him so he doesn't run away again, you've got my number."

"Uh," Johnny says dumbly, and she laughs. 

"Dude, you are so red right now." Isabel fans herself with her free hand. "Geez, you’re making me sweaty." She lowers the umbrella, snapping it open. "Well, I'm gonna get back to tracking down my spirit. If you see a weird centipede-y thing, let me know. It ate my math homework and I am going to make it pay." She smacks the umbrella into her palm.  

He struggles to think of a response for that. His brain's starting to hurt from all the thinking and stressing he's been doing for the past day. "Go punch it really hard," Johnny says, the words falling out of his mouth automatically, and he wants to groan at how stupid that sounds.

Isabel blinks, snorting back a laugh. "Finally, someone who speaks my language." She turns to go, then pauses, pointing at him. "I mean it, though. Go talk this out." Then she walks away, leaving him alone with his thoughts again.

Knowing that Max isn't mad at him makes him feel a little better, the tight coil of misery in his gut loosening a bit. The relief doesn't last long before it's replaced by a sense of deep hurt. He's not mad at him, but he's still shutting him out, and Johnny hates that. He knows it's kinda hypocritical, 'cuz he does the same thing, but- it's just - he doesn't want people worrying about him. He can take care of his own problems.

Except he can't, he really can't. 

Johnny groans for real this time and runs his hands through his hair, equal parts frustrated and uncertain. He doesn't know what to do about this- about Forge, about Max, about all the stupid damn secrets in this stupid damn town. God. Stuff was so much easier a few months ago. Before Max moved to Mayview and changed everything.

Okay, that's it. He's taking Isabel's advice about talking to him. At least he can do _something_ about one freakin' situation in his life. Johnny spins around decisively and marches towards his first class, ignoring the fact that school doesn't start for a good twenty more minutes. A thought - that maybe it'll turn out badly, that Max will tell him he doesn't want to be friends anymore - drifts across his mind, and he falters a bit. "Cut it out," Johnny growls under his breath, shaking his head. Just quit being negative. It doesn't help anything. 

The thought refuses to go away, no matter how hard he tries to suppress it. Jesus. He's gonna go crazy if this doesn't get sorted out soon. For a moment Johnny briefly considers just fleeing the school, like Max did. It's tempting, but...he doesn't think he can. 'Cuz deep down he's _scared_ of resolving this whole thing, in case it does end badly. In case it just blows up in his face and leaves him even more miserable than before.

So no, he's not gonna skip. He's just gonna sit and stress about it until he can't avoid it anymore. It's a terrible plan, and Johnny gets the feeling his friends would tell him the same if they knew about it - hell, he's gonna tell them anyway, 'cuz he knows they're gonna ask - but it's all he's got.

The day crawls by at an agonizingly slow pace. Stephen laid into him a bit for ditching them this morning when he got to school, but he'd backed off pretty quickly when Johnny'd said he just needed some time alone. Then he told his friends about going to talk to Max. They'd been sending him encouraging texts for hours now, so much that he had to turn his phone off, 'cuz otherwise it would've probably gotten confiscated.

Seeing Max's empty place in shop made his heart twist a bit. It was stupid- why'd he even been expecting to see him there? Johnny didn't like the look Dimitri was giving him either, but he didn't feel like getting into it, so he'd just asked Coach Oop if he could do stuff in the office instead. 

He's there now, the 'stuff' mostly consisting of pacing around and staring at the clock anxiously. He'd locked the door, just 'cuz he doesn't want anyone coming in and asking him what he's doing. Johnny definitely doesn't have a valid answer for that. He looks at the clock again, even though he'd just checked the time like thirty seconds ago, squinting a bit when he can't quite make it out. Why's it look so dirty all of sudden? There's weird black stuff smeared all over the glass face, kinda like-

Johnny's heart stops with the realization. It's soot. There's soot on the clock and the room is hot and full of smoke and-

He whirls around, reflexively taking a step backwards as Forge looms up out of the smog in front of him. "What d'ya want?" Johnny spits at him, hating the way his voice shakes. He hasn't seen or spoken to his spirit in ages, despite the grudge he's still nursing against him for that time in the caves. Forge had rebuffed every single one of Johnny's attempts to talk to (or yell at) him. Locked him out.

So why's he here now?

Forge doesn't say anything for a moment. Just looks at him. He seems...different, somehow? Johnny can't quite place it. It's almost like he's tired, or-

"You should use this situation to your advantage," Forge says suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. "It would be..." he hesitates. "Beneficial for you."

Johnny blinks, thrown. "Wh-" His voice cracks and he bites his cheek, angry at himself. "What're y'even talkin' about?" He spits out, trying to seem brave. Trying to act like he's not terrified of this metal monster and the smoke and the fire. God. It's like every time he sees Forge the fear gets worse, and he can't stand it.

The spirit tips his massive head. "I told you once to stay away from your friend, did I not?" He takes a step forward, a furnace blast of heat accompanying him. "Do you not remember this?" Forge bares his sharp teeth at him, either as a smile or as a threat. Johnny can't tell. "Perhaps you do not, seeing as how you disobeyed my orders." 

"I-" He has to fight to speak, panic crawling up his throat. "I don't- you ain't in charge of me! I don't care about yer dumb orders!" The defiance seems weak, bordering on pathetic, but it's all he has. And he means it- Johnny doesn't give a damn about whatever Forge says.

Something twists on Forge's face, and Johnny backs up, suddenly scared that he's gonna try and attack him. He slips on the sooty ground in his haste, going down hard. The spirit crouches over him, effectively trapping him. The air's so hot Johnny can barely breathe. He freezes, staring up at Forge, heart going so fast that it feels like it's going to explode.

"I will say it again, then," Forge says simply, like he's talking to a little kid. "Stay away from him. If you do not..." He trails off, turning his head away. If Johnny didn't know better, he'd say he looked...regretful?

His mouth goes dry. "Are y'gonna hurt Max?" The words are so quiet he can barely hear himself. Forge doesn't respond, and that alone makes a dull horror settle into his bones. "Are ya?" Johnny demands, struggling to sit up, to fight against the paralyzing fear. "Tell me!"

Forge stands up instead, turning his back on him. Johnny scrambles to his feet, grabbing the spirit's arm and trying to yank him back. The metal of his skin burns, and he grits his teeth, forcing himself to hang on. Forge shakes him off easily. "Do not be a fool, boy."

"Don't call me that!" Johnny yells, planting himself in front of the spirit. "I know I'm stupid, but- but-" He struggles for words. "Yer stupider if y'think I'm gonna let ya hurt him!" The fact that there's not much he _could_ do to stop Forge makes him feel sick, and he swallows, trying to ignore it. "An' - an' I want some answers, too!" He takes a step forward, holding out his and forcing a tiny flicker of fire to life. Forge looks unimpressed. "What were ya an' Ariel talkin' about in the caves?" Johnny points at him, accusingly. "Why'd those creepy cult people want ya? Why-"

Forge bends down and exhales a long stream of smoke, snuffing the flame and making him choke. "Enough, boy." His voice is hard. "You need not know these answers. I only chose to speak with you as a courtesy." The smoke turns thick and dark, filling the room until Johnny can't see anything. He lashes out blindly, hoping to connect with Forge, with _anything_ , just so he won't feel so damn helpless. His fist only connects with empty air.

He _thinks_ he hears Forge say something softly before he blinks and the room's back to normal. His knees give out and Johnny collapses onto the floor, breathing hard. He feels shaky, his nerves wound up so tight they've all snapped. Someone's knocking on the door, the sharp repetition spiking into his brain. His head hurts. Everything hurts. God, his throat burns so bad right now.

A distant memory worms it way into his brain - choking on smoke as his house burned down around him - before Johnny shoves it away. He forces himself to his feet, making his wobbly way to the door. He mumbles a vague apology to the annoyed teacher on the other side of it before slipping into the hall, making a beeline for the drinking fountain. He gulps down water until he can't breathe, but the taste of ash won't go away.

Forge is gonna try and hurt Max. 

Johnny closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to settle himself. He doesn't know that. He doesn't, not for sure. He- oh, hell, he does know. Forge and Ariel have some kinda big plan going on and it involves Max and the shadow spirit and _him_. Johnny's just a tool. A weapon.  

He fishes his phone out of his pocket and turns it back on, desperation making it hard to keep his hands steady. He needs to- he needs to - 

Johnny's heart lurches when he sees the missed text on the screen.

 **> max (1:56):** hey

 **> max (1:56):** can we talk??

He almost wants to laugh at the irony of it. Of _course_ Max wants to talk _now_ , after what just happened. When the spirit who has no problem hijacking his body wants to do...something. Something bad.

It'd be easy to say no. That he doesn't wanna talk, that he doesn't wanna try and fix their relationship, but that's a lie Johnny knows he won't be able to live with. Besides, he should at least warn Max about Forge's plan. Maybe they can figure out a way to stop him.

Maybe.

Forge's parting words float through his mind as he stares at the screen, trying to decide what to do. _Please make the right decision._ Johnny's pretty sure that's what he said, and he hates him for it. Like he's got any choice in the matter. Forge can take him over whenever he wants, make him do whatever he wants.

Just the thought of actually listening to the spirit is enough to make up his mind. 

 **> johnny: (2:17):** yeah

 **> johnny (2:17):** i'll come over after school

He's never been one for making smart choices.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO i am going to be moving updates to every other wednesday, sorry guys! i recently started grad school (i'm getting my degree in library & information science!) so my free time is practically nonexistent 
> 
> love y'all, and thanks again for sticking with this story!


	46. heat sink

God, he doesn't think he can actually do this. Johnny's standing frozen in front of the corner shop, close enough that he can look inside, but not close enough to activate the sensor on the doors. He can see Max's dad at the counter, occasionally glancing over at him with a puzzled expression on his face. Johnny reflexively ducks the next time he does it, then immediately feels dumb. He's in plain sight. There's nowhere to hide.

He takes a hesitant step forward, panicking when the doors slide open and backing up until they close again. Christ. He really is being stupid. Johnny tries telling himself that he's not scared of talking to Max, even though he kinda is. And he's even more scared of whatever Forge is gonna do.

Right. Forge's warning. Or was it a threat? It doesn't matter, Johnny thinks, shaking his head. 'Cuz either way, he shouldn't be here. Why'd he even say he'd come over? He should be staying as far away from Max as possible. He should - he's gotta- he's just gonna go. It's not running away. It's just making the right decision.

The doors open again just as he turns to leave. "Hey," Max says from behind him, and Johnny freezes again, heart taking off at mach speed. "Where are you going?"

"Um," Johnny replies vaguely, not quite looking at him. So much for that plan. "I dunno?" 

Max snorts a little at that, and Johnny risks a glance at him. His face is kinda flushed, like he actually is sick. "My dad told me to come get you 'cuz you were scaring the customers," he continues, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. His dad's still at the counter, watching them. He gives them a big wave when he notices Johnny looking back at him, and he very hesitantly returns it.

"Uh." He hunches his shoulders, ducking his head. He had to have looked super sketchy just standing in front of the store. "Sorry." 

"It's cool." There's a long moment of silence where both of them awkwardly avoid eye contact. "Um. I need to-"

"I gotta tell ya somethin'," Johnny bursts out before he registers that he just cut Max off, and he goes red, abashed. This is  _ not  _ going the way he wanted it to.

Max blinks, looking startled. "Uh- okay?" He sounds vaguely nervous. "What is it?"

"Y'can- y'can go first," he says quickly, waving a hand. "Um. Sorry t'interupt."

Max stares at him for a few seconds before responding. "Okay." The word comes out slow and hesitant. "Not right here, though," he adds, glancing inside the store before stepping outside and letting the doors close. Johnny practically leaps backwards in response, putting a much distance between him and Max as he can without outright fleeing the scene. 

"Just-" he holds a hand out in warning, suddenly terrified. What if this is what Forge's been waiting for? He wouldn't- he wouldn't make him attack Max in front of his dad, right? "Just - just stay right there, got it? Don't come any closer!" Johnny ends up sorta yelling that last bit, stomach twisting when he sees Max flinch, hurt expression on his face.

"What?" Max stops, but he doesn't make any effort to move away. "Are you mad at me?"

"m-" Johnny hesitates. He is, just a little, but he's mostly confused and worried and- and, besides, that's not why he's acting like this. "'m not," he mumbles, looking away and crossing his arms. "I kinda thought y'were, though. Um. Mad at me, I mean." The words aren't coming out right, and he bites his cheek, frustrated. "Then Isabel said y'weren't, but-"

"Well, she's right," he interrupts. "I'm not- why would I be?"

"Yer actin' like it," Johnny points out, taking another step away.

"I- ugh!" Max lets out a loud groan, dragging his hands down his face. "I just- look, I know I was being weird yesterday and I probably hurt your feelings and- and you don't deserve that." His voice goes quiet. "That's why I wanted to talk. So I could, y'know." He shrugs a shoulder, staring at the ground. "Apologize." Max looks back up, making eye contact for the first time. "But I'm not mad at you. I promise."

"Oh," Johnny says, stunned. He's never heard Max make a promise about anything before, and the solemnity of it makes the misery that's been consuming him for the past day evaporate instantly. It quickly returns when he remembers Forge's threat, and he backs up some more, just in case. "Then why'd ya..." He trails off, waving a hand vaguely.

"Freak out?" Max offers.

"Um. Yeah."

"I don't-" He hesitates, biting his lip. "I don't know. There's just- there's just been a lot of stuff going on. I guess I'm just feeling kinda overwhelmed." 

"Oh," Johnny says again, lamely. So it's really not him. Max doesn't know about his crush and he doesn't hate him. It's just spirit junk. Like Forge, he thinks, and then scoots back even more so he's standing in the street.

"Dude, you're gonna get hit by a car," Max exclaims, clearly exasperated. 

"'m not," he shoots back automatically.

Max just rolls his eyes, closing the gap between them and grabbing his hand, yanking him back onto the sidewalk. Johnny's heart stutters a bit at the contact, face heating up. "Seriously, what is going on? I'm not mad at you and you're not mad at me, so why're you..." He runs out of words and just gestures at him instead.

"It's 'cuz o'Forge!" Johnny blurts out, pulling his hand away. "I think he's gonna- we were talkin' durin' school an' he said t'stay away from you again or- or else!"

He stares at him for a moment. "Does he mean 'or else' like...y'know." He does air quotes. Johnny just nods, suddenly unable to speak, and Max sighs, closing his eyes. "Great. What's his problem with me, anyway?" 

"I think it's 'cuz he' got beef with Moros.” 

"But he's not even doing anything right now!" Max protests, throwing his hands in the air. "He's still asleep! He's not a threat!" He crosses his arms with a huff. "I don't even  _ want  _ him here." 

"Sorry," he mumbles. "But that's why I told ya t'stay back. In case he tries t'do anythin'. An' I should- I should probably go," he says quickly, turning away. 

"Woah, wait a minute!" Max grabs the back of his shirt, stilling him. "You can't just ditch me after saying something like that." He lets go, stepping in front of him and blocking his escape route. "You planning on avoiding me for the rest of your life, or what?"

"No," Johnny lies, even though that'd kinda been the plan. That, or running away. He could do that, he thinks. He's just gotta figure out a way past the barrier. Or maybe he could go live out in the woods like a hermit or something. That way his friends can still come visit him. "But I dunno what else to do." His voice cracks halfway through the sentence, tears threatening to form. God, he hates this. He should be able to hang out with Max without worrying about Forge hurting him. It's not fair.

"Don't go," Max says, and he's looking at him with that soft expression that makes him want to melt. "I don't want you to. We'll figure something out, okay?" He pauses for a moment, then points down the road. "Wanna go for a walk with me?"

"But what about-"

"It'll be fine," he says firmly, nudging him forward. Johnny reluctantly lets himself be propelled down the sidewalk, still conflicted. Max sticks close, and he eyes him, torn between wanting him to stay and wanting him to leave.

"Ain't y'cold without a coat?" he asks, gesturing at him.

Max shakes his head, giving him a little smile. "Nah. I've got you."

"Right," Johnny says faintly, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He clears his throat awkwardly, changing the subject. "What're y'gonna do if Forge actually does somethin'?"

"I..." He hesitates. "I don't know. I'm hoping he's not actually gonna do anything. He didn't last time he told you to stay away from me, right?"

"Yeah." It's a faint glimmer of hope, and Johnny latches onto it desperately. Maybe Forge is just messing with him. Trying to fake him out for some reason.

"Besides," Max adds, "I'm not scared of him. Forge, I mean."

"I am," Johnny says quietly. Max doesn't have a response for that.

They walk in a vaguely uneasy silence for a while. There's a bench off the sidewalk just up ahead, overlooking the frozen lake, and Max detours to it. "I guess what I meant," he says, taking a seat and pulling Johnny down next to him, "is that I'm not scared of  _ you _ ." 

Johnny's blush gets even deeper at that. He looks away quickly, picking up a rock that's lying on the bench and tossing it over the railing in front of them. "Even though I chased ya around half of Mayview yer first day here?"

Max laughs- an actual one, not his usual snort- and his heart turns over. God. He doesn't think he could stay away from him even if he tried. "Okay, yeah," he admits. "I was back then. But not anymore."

He wants to say 'maybe you should be', but the words stick in his throat. Because it's not really true, it's not him who'd ever hurt Max. It's Forge. But Forge lives inside him and he can take control any time he wants. Right now, even. Johnny sucks in a sharp breath, waiting for the sensation of something try to claw its way out of his head. Nothing happens, and he lets the breath out slowly, the misery from earlier creeping back in. Is he gonna spend the rest of his life - or however long Forge is gonna freeload in his body - feeling like this? Waiting for the worst?

Max shoots him a sharp, concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Johnny concentrates on throwing a few more rocks over the railing before responding, watching them disappear from view. "I dunno."  He bites his cheek, wincing a bit at the sting. He scoops up a bunch of rocks from the ground and chucks them all at once before collapsing back against the bench. "I dunno!"

There's a light touch on the back of his hand and he jumps a bit, startled. "Sorry," Max says hastily, pulling away. "Um." He rubs the back of his neck, looking away. "I think- well- let's not worry about it, okay?  _ If  _ Forge tries anything," he puts extra emphasis on the  _ if _ , "we can take him. And we can get the rest of the Club to help too. Maybe even Spender, 'cuz he's fought him before. It'll be fine."

He just makes a noncommittal noise in response, unconvinced. Johnny goes to pick up another rock and then sighs, dropping it back on the ground and kicking it away instead. "Okay." He pauses for a moment, then looks over at Max. "Do ya remember when we were lookin' at t'constellations an' y'called me your Prometheus an' said I made y'feel like stuff was gonna be all right?"

Max goes bright red. "Vaguely," he says, shiftily. "But that was just- I know it was weird-"

"'Cuz it's the same for me," Johnny interrupts, pressing on before he can lose his resolve. "You-" His courage wavers and he looks away, wishing he hadn't thrown all the damn rocks away. There's nothing to distract himself with now. "Y'make me feel the same way," he mutters, excruciatingly aware of just how much he's blushing. "Like everything's gonna be okay."

There's a long silence. Johnny can't even bring himself to look at Max. If he was just a little bit braver, if he hadn't already tried and failed three times, this would be the perfect moment to confess. But he can't. Not with whatever Forge is planning.

"Oh," Max says finally, voice slightly strangled. He coughs a bit, then punches him in the shoulder lightly. "I guess that's good."

"Yeah," is all he can think to say in response, daring a glance at him. Max's face is still red, but that could easily be from the cold as well as embarrassment. A sudden gust of wind buffets them, and he sees him shiver. Johnny swallows, heart pounding, and very slowly and carefully wraps an arm around him. He freezes when he feels Max flinch. "Sorry," he blurts out, remembering his outburst from yesterday. "Sorry. Um. I keep forgettin' y'don't like being touched-"

"No, it's okay," Max interjects, leaning in as the wind returns. "It's, uh. I don't really mind that much if it's you," he mumbles, resting his head against Johnny's shoulder. 

The combination of his words and the physical contact leave him lightheaded. Johnny swallows again, hard, feeling like he's going to explode. What does that even mean? Does- he shakes his head, forcing himself back to reality. There's no use in even fantasizing about Max maybe liking him back. It's just wishful thinking. "Is that why yer always touchin' me?" he asks weakly, concentrating on trying to not combust right there on the spot.

"I do not," Max shoots back.

"Yer doin' it right now," he points out. There's a beat, and then Max sits bolt upright, pulling away. Johnny mentally kicks himself. Way to go, he thinks sourly. You just ruined the moment.

"Well-" Max splutters, going red again. "You started it this time!"

"Sorry." He jerks his arm away and scoots further down the bench, so they're not sitting so close. There's an awkward silence. Johnny kicks at the ground again, watching the snow melt. "Y'scared me," he says after a while, thinking about Max's words earlier. "Yesterday, I mean. I thought-" He hunches his shoulders a bit, embarrassed. It seems silly saying this now with everything else he's got to worry about. "I thought maybe y'didn't wanna be friends anymore."

"No!" Max sounds scandalized. "I don't- why would you even think that?" Johnny shoots him a look, eyebrow raised, and he grimaces. "Okay, yeah. Guess I can't blame you, but…” He goes quiet, then looks up. “I'd never want that." They make eye contact, and Johnny has to force himself to not look away. "I mean it," Max adds. "I like being friends with you."

Oh, hell. He can't move or think or even breathe 'cuz Max is  _ right there  _ and he's looking at him and he's stupidly,  _ stupidly  _ pretty and Johnny wants to kiss him so bad right now. But he can't. He can't ever. He's not gonna let this crush destroy their friendship and he's not- he's not gonna let Forge go through with whatever he's planning. Max nudges him suddenly and he jumps, startled. "What?"

"You've been staring at me for like, two minutes now." He sounds concerned. "You sure you're okay?"

Johnny lets out a shaky breath, mentally stuffing his feelings back into a box. "Um, yeah. 'm fine." He glances down at his hands, and their white-knuckled grip on the edge of the box. "Um," he says again, voice thready. "Me too. I like that we're friends." He really wishes they could be a little more than that, but he's not about to risk anything. 

"Glad we're on the same page," Max deadpans, but his face is still kinda red. "Hey." He nudges him again. "I was gonna ask yesterday, but I, uh, forgot, 'cuz of..." He waves a hand. "Y'know. Anyway. My dad's taking Zoey out of town next weekend for this thing and I don't really want to be by myself, so..." Max hesitates, glancing away. "You wanna come over? Or I can ask Isabel," he says quickly in response to Johnny's stunned silence, "if you're busy-"

"No, I wanna," he blurts out automatically before he has a chance to think it through. His heart skips a couple beats, painfully. He just agreed to spending two whole days alone with Max. Then he thinks about Forge and his heart stutters again. That'd be the perfect opportunity for him to do something. "No, wait! I mean," Johnny backtracks quickly at Max's disappointed look, "what about Forge?"

"Oh." He frowns. "I forgot about that." Max tips his head to the side, like he's thinking. "You really think he's actually gonna try something?"

"Dunno." Johnny shrugs, feeling apprehensive. "He sounded pretty serious."

Max doesn't say anything for a moment. "Well," he says finally, with an exaggerated sigh, "it's not like you can avoid me forever- and you better not try," he adds, pointing a stern finger at him before continuing. "So...guess we'll just figure something out if it actually comes down to that. Okay?"

"Okay," Johnny says back, voice small. He's trying his best to not worry about it. Even if Forge  _ is  _ gonna do something, freaking out won't help. He and Max can handle it.

He thinks.

He really hopes so, anyway.

"Cool." Max gives him another one of those smiles that make him want to die, standing up. "I'm gonna go back now, 'cuz I'm literally freezing. Guess you're not a replacement for a coat, after all." He hugs himself for emphasis as he speaks, smile morphing into a teasing grin.

"Told ya you'd be cold," Johnny shoots back, getting to his feet and kicking a spray of snow towards him. Max yelps, dancing away.

"Jerk," he says, but he's laughing. "Get over here and warm me up, then." He holds his hand out expectantly, cheeks pink. Johnny hesitates before taking it, his own face getting hot. Max yanks him forward, back onto the sidewalk. He expects him to let go when they start walking, but he doesn't, and Johnny's  _ definitely  _ not gonna complain about that. He's holding hands with Max, and it's almost enough to make him forget about Forge's threat.

Almost. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> babies can have a little crush...as a treat


End file.
